DNA from ancient Siberian dogs shows primitive Arctic communities started trading with Europe and the Near East around 5,000 BC- 5,000 years earlier than previously believed

 DNA from remains of Siberian dogs reveals they were interbreeding with other dogs from Europe and the Near East around 5,000 B.C., which means the Arctic communities were trading with those communities 7,000 years ago, far earlier than previously believed.

Prior to the study, evidence of glass beads and metal items found in the area suggested trading between the isolated humans and the outside world began just 2,000 years ago.

The new research, led by the University of Copenhagen, analyzed DNA from the remains of 49 Siberian dogs and found some were mixed with other dog populations from the Eurasian steppes, the Near East and Europe.  

The Siberian dogs were deliberately bred with those from other regions, allowing people to sell the mixed offspring off at a high price.

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DNA from remains of Siberian dogs reveals they were interbreeding with other dogs from Europe and the Near East at least 7,000 years ago, which means the Arctic communities were trading with those nations at that time

‘Altogether, this suggests that these profound transformations in Northwest Siberia were linked with the importation of material culture (including dogs) from neighboring regions through the establishment of large-scale trade networks,’ according to the study.

Dogs appeared in the Arctic about 9,500 years ago, allowing those who inhabited the frozen wasteland to venture outside of the isolated world.

In their research, the experts looked at the DNA from dog remains ranging from 9,500 to 2,000 years ago.

The earliest remains analyzed in the study were uncovered near a range of nonlocal materials found in Northwest Siberia, which previously set the timeline of the ancient trademark.

The remains, discovered in 2016, were unearthed in a dog graveyard at an archaeological site known as Ust-Polui, located in Salekhard, in Russia's Arctic circle.

In total, the remains of 115 dogs were were found.

The new research, led by the University of Copenhagen, analyzed DNA from the remains of 49 Siberian dogs and found some were mixed with other dog populations from the Eurasian steppes, the Near East and Europe. The map shows spots where the remains were found

The discovery suggests humans and dogs were living side-by-side for thousands of years, but along with the remains were artifacts not native to the region.

A team of scientists led by the University of Alberta in Canada used the goods to determine when the Siberian community began trading with the outside world.

However, Tatiana Feuerborn, an archeologist at the University of Copenhagen, told Science News that she and her team wondered if these dog remains and others in Siberia could reveal a different timeline of an ancient trade network.

According to the research, the ancient Arctic dogs likely inhabited a large region of Siberia from the New Siberian Islands to Lake Baikal.

However, their purebred lineage was altered over the last 7,000 years by several introductions of dogs from the Eurasian Steppe and Western Eurasia.

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For the study, the team analyzed DNA from 2,000-year-old dog remains that were uncovered near a range of nonlocal materials found in Northwest Siberia. The remains, discovered in 2016, were unearthed in a dog graveyard at an archaeological site called Ust-Polui, which is in a town called Salekhard in Russia's Arctic circle – a total of 115 dogs were found 

‘Some of these introductions coincide with periods of major transformations within Northwest Siberian societies, including the introduction of metallurgy to the Arctic, the advent of the use of reindeer for transportation (2,000 years ago), and the rise of reindeer pastoralism, 800 years ago,’ reads the study.

‘Altogether, this suggests that these profound transformations in Northwest Siberia were linked with the importation of material culture (including dogs) from neighboring regions through the establishment of large-scale trade networks.’ 

The research was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 

DOGS FIRST BECAME DOMESTICATED ABOUT 20,000 to 40,000 YEARS AGO

A genetic analysis of the world's oldest known dog remains revealed that dogs were domesticated in a single event by humans living in Eurasia, around 20,000 to 40,000 years ago.

Dr Krishna Veeramah, an assistant professor in evolution at Stony Brook University, told MailOnline: 'The process of dog domestication would have been a very complex process, involving a number of generations where signature dog traits evolved gradually.

'The current hypothesis is that the domestication of dogs likely arose passively, with a population of wolves somewhere in the world living on the outskirts of hunter-gatherer camps feeding off refuse created by the humans.

'Those wolves that were tamer and less aggressive would have been more successful at this, and while the humans did not initially gain any kind of benefit from this process, over time they would have developed some kind of symbiotic [mutually beneficial] relationship with these animals, eventually evolving into the dogs we see today.'