Uncovering the lives of rock doves ( <i>Columba livia</i> ) in Late Bronze Age Hala Sultan Tekke, Cyprus

2026/05/21 by Anderson L. Carter, David S. Reese, Ronald van Bommel +2 · 1 voice
Arts and Humanities · Earth and Planetary Sciences · Social Sciences · #Archaeology and ancient environmental studies #Maritime and Coastal Archaeology #Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies

paper · pdf · doi:10.15184/aqy.2026.10351

openalex created_date 2026/05/21 · openalex publication_date 2026/05/21 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/08

Abstract

Despite a long and dynamic history of coexistence with humans, the prehistory and domestication of the common pigeon ( Columba livia ) are not well understood. Here, the authors re-examine a large assemblage of avian bones excavated from Late Bronze Age contexts at Hala Sultan Tekke on Cyprus, aiming to contextualise the presence of pigeons within the settlement and their relationship with contemporaneous humans. The results of zooarchaeological and stable isotope analyses, they argue, suggest that these birds may have been semi-domesticated and may have held a symbolic/ritualistic role that challenges their common perception as mere urban dwellers.

Citations

• Redefining the Evolutionary History of the Rock Dove, <i>Columba livia</i>, Using Whole Genome Sequences
• Seeking consensus on the domestication concept

Discussions

• Bronze Age Pigeon Bones on Cyprus indicate Pigeons were semidomesticated as early as 1400 B.C. pushing the timeline 1000 years earlier than previously thought [lemmy, 24 points, 0 comments]

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