Paatrons of Ciivility The earliest archeological evidence of cat domestication was uncovered on the island of Cyprus. A grave shared by a man and an eight-month-old cat buried alongside him, dating back to the last period of the Stone Age – the Neolithic. This grave was created nine thousand and a half years ago, predating the famous cats of ancient Egypt by four thousand years. This also predates Britain as an island – it was still connected to Holland by a land bridge. Cyprus has no native cat species, so this grave not only reveals a striking and relatable close bond between a human and his feline companion, it also demonstrates that this area was populated with cats via migration alongside humans amphibiously. Archeological evidence suggests that this migration may have occurred via dugout canoes as this is the earliest type of boat found, with the oldest - known as the Presse Canoe - found in the Netherlands, dating between 8040 BC and 7510 BC. Thus, we can imagine that in dugout canoes fashioned from hollowed tree trunks, perhaps in combination with some other more delicate craft which has not survived in the ground well enough to be traced thus far, these cats voyaged to settle European soil from the Neolithic fertile crescent. Likely passed nuggets of meat through the bars of a stick-cage whilst moaning and panting in fear, as if taking a trip to the vet whilst assaulted by the sound of an engine. It’s important to note that the Neolithic period at large is defined by the embrace of agriculture in certain areas, sometimes referred to as the ‘Neolithic revolution’- although of course like anything in pre-history this was not a sudden event and was a result of the changes that occurred during the 10 thousand year ‘Epipalaeolithic’ period which came before. In particularly fertile regions such as the heartland of modern China between the Yangtze and Huang He rivers, the Nile valley, and the Fertile Crescent that traces the Tigris and Euphrates across Mesopotamia and the Levant, permanent agricultural societies arose during the Neolithic period. Thus, in these corners of the general human population which mostly remained hunting and gathering for thousands of years longer, the perfect environment for the cat was formed. The humans built stiffer settlements with regular heating arrangements and protection from wind and rain, any predator large enough to chase a cat would be killed in order to protect children and livestock, and most importantly the constant localised stockpile of food that the humans had formed around themselves via their new system meant that vermin had become an increasingly serious problem. Before the cat, what was the solution to dealing with these troublesome pests? It’s hard to overstate the problem posed by these agile, numerous and tiny granivores. They are still with us today. Small birds like crows or pigeons, mice, and rats take their pickings from settled human society and multiply as a result. Lacking modern technology and with extremely scare resources, this would have been a great blight for the Neolithic farmer. Labour intensive work meant that the adults time would have been valuable, and despite this, how can a big gangly human efficiently deal with these massively mobile masticators? Children could be put to the task, but they would be even less effective, and may have been just as busy assisting the farm directly. Dogs? They were certainly available in this time period, but the development of any breed which could be considered anything approaching a ‘ratter’ was far off. The large dogs of the Neolithic period would cause a great ruckus chasing a rodent, knocking things over, and letting all the other vermin in the area know where they were, whilst the little bandit would likely just escape by going in or under something. It’s most likely that the entrance of the cat to human life was very incremental. Following vermin populations, the cats would have naturally ranged closer to human settlements in greater numbers as populations, farms, and their surrounding ecosystem of scavenging animals grew. I would estimate their main barrier to symbiosis with humans early on would have been domestic dog as well as human predation. However, it’s likely that the usefulness of the wildcat was quickly realised by these burgeoning agricultural communities. In a process which progressed at differing rates in different localities, these cats became less fearful of humans. When an impressive level of tameness was achieved in a community they would likely have been bred and traded for other vital resources, incentivising the spread of sociable feline populations across the fertile crescent and southern Anatolia. The African Wildcat Felis Silvestris lybica has the greatest range of wildcat species, covering much of Asia and the Middle East as well as Africa. Studies thus far demonstrate that this wildcat species is the ancestor of today’s domestic cat, besides local instances of tame small felines. For example, findings from a 5600-year-old settlement in North Western China suggest that a cat may have been fed by the local villagers, as a large amount of their staple crop of millet was found in its stomach. The species of the cat was later identified as a leopard cat Prionailurus bengalensis and was presented by Chinese scientists as the earliest domestication of the cat. Weighing this claim against the much earlier Cypriot example depends on how much the striking evidence of feeding the cat is valued over the earlier date. Regardless, the leopard cat’s taming appears to have been short lived, as the Chinese cat population is descended from the African wildcat, just like elsewhere. It’s postulated that after the opening of the Silk Road trade allowed purchase of our familiar cats, which were more desirable – likely because they were fully domesticated. This demonstrates the natural tendency towards homogenisation of pet species, as it takes so long for a domestication process to be completed without modern knowhow. During the Neolithic, the same migration period which replaced much of the thinly spread hunter gathering populations in mainland Europe at the time over thousands of years, also spread the ancestors of the domestic cat deep into the continent – cat remains found in Poland date back as far as 5000 years. This was the same migration trend which replaced the population of the famous Cheddar Man of the UK – a member of the Mesolithic humans who previously occupied the area. This wave changed the culture and genetics of Europe, demonstrating the advantages of agriculture versus hunter-gathering on a macro level. Agriculture facilitated the blossoming population which drove the Aegean people to spread to the North and West, away from competition against other numerous farming societies. It also empowered the migrators in Europe, outcompeting the genes of hunter-gathering populations with sheer numbers. If you love the mystique of Ancient Egypt to the point where you are something of an amateur Egyptologist, and/or previously enjoyed the thought they were the ones behind the modern kitty, do not be dismayed. Its certain that Ancient Egypt played an integral role in the story of the cat. The Nile valley is understood as a participant in the ‘Neolithic revolution’ at a similar time to the peoples of the Fertile Crescent. However, the mighty and distinctive Ancient Egyptian society which occupies a space in popular imagination did not arise until later on. The Sumer people who spoke
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