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The history of African village chickens: An archaeological and molecular perspective

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Title The history of African village chickens: An archaeological and molecular perspective
 
Creator Mwacharo, Joram M.
Bjornstad, G.
Han Jianlin
Hanotte, Olivier H.
 
Subject poultry
livestock
 
Description The history of the introduction and dispersal of village chickens across the African continent is a subject of intense debate and speculation among scholars. Here, we synthesize and summarise the current scientific genetic and nongenetic knowledge in relation to the history of the species on the continent. Sociocultural, linguistic, archaeological and historic data all suggest a complex history for the species in Africa, characterized by multiple maritime and/or terrestrial introductions over time and several dispersal routes towards and within Africa. Molecular genetics information supports these observations and in addition suggests possible Asian centers of origin for African domestic chickens, including South Asia and Island Southeast Asia. However, both sets of data were until now too limited in their geographic scope, both within Africa and in comparison with chickens from Asia, to unravel the history of the species in detail. We anticipate that further continent-wide studies combining archaeological, ancient and/or modern genetic information may shed new insights on the history of the species. These will contribute to a deeper understanding of the history of trading networks and human interactions within Africa and between African and Asian societies, at the root of the development and expansion of African civilizations.
 
Date 2013-03-15
2013-07-08T08:46:22Z
2013-07-08T08:46:22Z
 
Type Journal Article
 
Identifier Mwacharo, J.M., Bjørnstad, G., Han Jianlin and Hanotte, O. 2013. The history of African village chickens: An archaeological and molecular perspective. African Archaeological Review 30(1): 97 - 114
1572-9842
https://hdl.handle.net/10568/33301
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10437-013-9128-1
 
Language en
 
Rights CC-BY-NC-2.0
Open Access
 
Source African Archaeological Review