Size matters: A comparative analysis of pig domestication

Domestic pigs were a key component of the Neolithic Revolution because of their great relevance to farming. Zoo-archaeological evidences suggest that Sus scrofa was domesticated in the Fertile Crescent about 10,500 years BP. From that moment, early Neolithic farmers spread domestic pigs westward into Europe. Yet, once domesticated, European pigs rapidly replaced pigs of Near Eastern origin throughout Europe. A temporal distribution change between European mitochondrial DNA haplotypes (A-side and C-side) also occurred: the A-side haplotype increased in domestic remains from the Neolithic to the Roman Age in Europe, at the expense of C-side individuals. This same pattern is absent in non-domestic settings. We jointly analyzed (modern) wild boar morphology and mitochondrial DNA, seeking out morphological differences between A- and C- side types. Our results show that A-side wild boars are significantly larger than C-sides, irrespective of sex, age, and reproductive stage. This suggests that the increased frequency of A-side individuals in domestic samples through time might be the direct result of active selection by early breeders for their fast growth rate.