Neolithic communities clustered near present-day Barcelona about 6,000 years ago were really keen on dogs, in this life and the next.
Archeological evidence from at least four sites showed prehistoric humans and their four-legged friends living in close quarters, working together, and sharing a common diet of mostly grains and vegetables.
The special status accorded to canines even extended to the grave, lead author Silvia Albizuri, a researcher at the University of Barcelona, and her team reported in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.
“These animals were fully integrated into the Neolithic communities,” Albizuri said.
In more than two dozen circular burial plots, the partial or complete remains of dogs were carefully laid out next to individual men, women and children, but the dogs chosen to spend eternity with their masters paid a stiff price for the privilege — they were sacrificed at the time of burial, the study concluded.
The animals ranged in age between one and six years, with a quarter estimated at 12 to 18-months-old.
“The selection of puppies and one-year-old animals suggests the intention to sacrifice,” she said.
The preference for young dogs might also have stemmed from a reluctance to lose older ones already trained in their guarding or herding duties.
A lack of cut-marks on the dog bones also suggests their flesh was not cut away and consumed.
Canines and humans laid to rest side-by-side have been found at other Middle Neolithic sites in northern Italy and southern France, but the Bobila Madurell tomb — just north of Barcelona — has more dogs than any other, the study said.
Dogs were first used by humans for hunting and probably transport, scientists speculate.
As humans settled and began to practice agriculture about 10,000 years ago, canines became sentinels against upright invaders and wild animals, especially their evolutionary cousins, wolves.
They also learned to herd other domesticated creatures, such as sheep, goats or cattle.
“Dogs played an important role in the economy of Neolithic populations, taking care of herds and settlements,” the researchers said.
The mid-sized dogs described in the study — standing up to half a meter tall and weighing about 15kg — resemble “shepherd dogs of the current Pyrenees,” Albizuri said.
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