The early history of domestic animals is also the early history of humans. This multidisciplinary project studies the earliest forms and arrival of domestic chicken, goose, duck, and horse in the Northern Baltic region. Prehistory and history of these species have not been studied systematically in the North, even though today they play important roles in the economy and cultural history of our societies. We will study when, why, and with which groups these animals were brought to the area. aDNA, osteometry, stable isotopes, and archaeological and historical records will be used to study the outlook, routes, diets and care taking of the animals. A final outcome will be an open database of the archaeological finds, including contexts, chronologies, genetic information and isotope values, and a popular book introducing animal life histories. The scientific impact will be a detailed understanding of the Northern forms and husbandry of our study species.

2025

2029