Dogs are often called 'man's best friend', and their long history with people gives that phrase real weight. Archaeologists have discovered dogs buried beside humans in graves as old as 14,000 years. Dogs also appear in ancient artwork from every continent and hold places in the mythology, religion and folklore of cultures around the world. Across recorded history, they have hunted beside us, guarded homes, carried loads, managed livestock and provided companionship.
More dogs live alongside people today than ever before. Over thousands of years, humans have also developed hundreds of distinct types, ranging from tiny chihuahuas small enough to carry in a handbag to Great Danes that can reach a person's waist.
How Humans and Dogs Evolved Together
How did such extraordinary diversity arise during roughly 15,000 years of shared evolution? In his new book, First Dogs: Hunter-Gatherers and their Canine Companions from Prehistory to the Present, archaeologist Professor Peter Mitchell explores dog domestication as a complicated and gradual process.
Rather than humans simply taking control of wolves, Mitchell argues that people and wolves may initially have entered the relationship as relatively equal participants. Hunter-gatherer communities were especially important to this process, long before people brought other animals or plants under close control. As these relationships developed in different places, dogs acquired specialized characteristics suited to the environments, lifestyles and needs of the people around them.
