Bonn–Oberkassel dog

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A partial dog skeleton in a museum display.
Display of the Bonn–Oberkassel dog at the LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn.

The Bonn–Oberkassel dog (German: Hund von Bonn–Oberkassel) is the skeletal remains of a Late Paleolithic dog (Canis lupus familiaris), found buried alongside two humans. Discovered in early 1914 by quarry workers in Oberkassel, Bonn, Germany, the Oberkassel double burial site was analyzed by a team of archaeologists from the University of Bonn and dated to the Upper Palaeolithic. A canine mandible found at the site was initially attributed to a wolf, and placed into museum storage alongside the human remains; many other canine bone fragments were instead placed into the university's Geological Collections. The bones of the specimen were reunited in the late 1970s and reidentified as a domestic dog attributed to the Magdalenian culture, dating to the Late Glacial Interstadial c. 14,000 BP.

The 32 identifiable bone fragments attributed to the Bonn–Oberkassel dog have been used to estimate a number of the animal's characteristics. It was around 7.5 months old at death, 40–50 cm (16–20 in) tall at shoulder height, and weighed 13–18 kg (29–40 lb), suggesting a slender build similar to the Indian wolf or some modern sighthounds. Osteoarthritis, alongside signs of enamel hypoplasia, hypodontia, and periodontal disease indicate that the dog suffered from a canine distemper infection as a puppy, surviving the illness despite extremely low chances of survival unassisted. Humans likely cared for the puppy, including cleaning it and providing it water, despite a corresponding lack of practical utility for doing so. Such care suggests significant compassion towards the dog, possibly indicating that the dog was seen as a pet. It is unknown why the dog died; it may have succumbed to the symptoms of illnesses, unrelated to the death of the two humans. An alternate possibility is that it was killed or sacrificed to be buried alongside the humans, an archaeologically-attested practice linked to spiritual and religious motives. A dog molar belonging to a separate, older dog was found at the site, likely used as a grave good.

Background[edit]

Domestic dogs are likely descended from populations of gray wolves. The time, place, and region in which dogs were initially domesticated, as well as the number of separate domestication events which took place, are all unknown and heavily debated among scholars. The presence of dogs by the Magdalenian period of Paleolithic Europe (c. 17,000–12,000 BP) is well established, but debated examples of dogs from the Aurignacian (c. 43,000–26,000 BP) have been described.[1] Some genetic studies place the origin of dogs to a population of East Asian wolves c. 39,000 BP.[2] A number of prehistoric dog burials are known, spanning from ritualistic and symbolic interment to simple corpse disposal out of hygienic concern. Factors such as the presence of grave goods, the positioning of the dog within a grave, and co-interment with humans can serve as indicators for care and symbolic intent.[3][4][5]

A large number of Magdalenian dog finds have been dated to c. 15,000–14,500 BP, corresponding to the beginning of the Late Glacial Interstadial and rapid climate change, with the Pleistocene Eurasian mammoth steppe giving way to forests. Humans may have sought out hunting dogs in increasingly "closed-in" conditions due to their greater smell and hearing capabilities.[6]

Discovery and research history[edit]

A black and white photo of a hillside quarry amidst countryside, showing a site in the middle of the quarry marked by a small white arrow.
Overview of the Oberkassel basalt quarry, with location of burial site indicated by arrow

In early 1914, workmen at a basalt quarry in Oberkassel, Bonn, Germany, discovered two human skeletons, an older man and a young woman, buried within a layer of sandy loam.[7][8] Damaging extraction methods partially destroyed the grave, likely contributing to the loss of many of the bones.[9] Investigations by a University of Bonn archaeological team dated the remains to the "Reindeer Period" (Upper Palaeolithic), and additionally noted various animal bones, including the "right mandible of a wolf".[7] A number of other animal bones were later identified from the site, including a bear baculum, a red deer incisor, and an elk-antler sculpture of what is likely an elk head.[10] A 1919 monograph described the canine skeleton further, grouping a number of other bone fragments with the specimen. While the Oberkassel skeletons themselves were put into storage in the Rheinisches Landesmuseum Bonn, animal remains from the site were split into two groups. The canine's mandible was placed into storage alongside the human remains, but various other pieces of the animal were stored in the University of Bonn's Geological Collections without clear provenance.[7][8]

In the late 1970s, a student studying the Oberkassel site rediscovered the separated material within the university collections. The remains were reunited at the Landesmuseum and placed under further study, with the mandible and associated bones identified as those of a Palaeolithic dog.[7] A 1994 examination of the bones grouped a number of other bones, previously interpreted as other animals, as portions of the dog. The Oberkassel site was previously dated to the Middle Magdalenian due to observed similarities between a carved bone discovered alongside the remains and the contour découpés of Middle Magdalenian France. Radiocarbon dating of the remains in the 1990s instead dated the site to the early portion of the Late Glacial Interstadial. Yet more dog bone fragments were discovered during and after the dating examinations, all without duplicate examples within the skeleton.[11][12]

Physical description[edit]

A slender Indian wolf, trotting left
A photo of a saluki, a tall and slender dog.
The estimated height and weight of the Bonn–Oberkassel dog suggest a build similar to West Asian wolves (such as the Indian wolf), or some modern sighthounds, such as the Saluki.

32[a] identifiable bone fragments have been identified as portions of the Bonn–Oberkassel dog. This comprises nine cranial remains (portions of the right mandible and premaxilla, a coronoid process, and seven loose teeth) and 23 fragments across the rest of the body, including ribs, vertebrae (including cervical, thoracic, and lumbar), partial central and left distal scapula, an incomplete left humerus, humeral epiphysis, fragments of the left radius, and portions of both ulnae. An additional 25 very small bone fragments could not be firmly identified, but many were likely portions of the ribs, skull, and vertebrae.[13][14]

Modern scholarship dates the dog to c. 14,000 BP (c. 12,000 BCE), with estimates ranging about 200 years in either direction.[15][16] The dog likely had a height of 40–50 cm (16–20 in) at the shoulder,[b] with an estimated weight of 13–18 kg (29–40 lb). Such figures suggest a relatively slim build for the animal, comparable to the Indian wolf and some breeds of sighthound.[18]

Estimations place the dog's age at death as around 7.5 months. The cranial growth plate of the lumbar vertebra is closed (usually closing at an age of 7 months), while the same vertebra's caudal growth plate is open (usually closing at an age of 8 months).[19]

Health[edit]

See caption
Canine distemper virus (Morbillivirus canis) seen under a microscope

The Bonn–Oberkassel dog likely suffered from canine distemper (morbillivirus canis) as a puppy. Canine distemper is a serious viral disease with a estimated fatality rate of 75% in puppies, often due to starvation, dehydration, and secondary infections over the course of three waves.[20] Signs of enamel hypoplasia, hypodontia, and severe periodontal disease are consistent with a diagnosis of canine distemper.[21] This infection was likely contracted at 19 or 21 weeks old, and lasted around three weeks.[2][22] Abrasions and severe enamel loss on the dog's remaining canine are similar to cage biter syndrome, although the lack of metal during the Paleolithic likely links the abrasion to stone chewing, a compulsive behavioral problem which may also be linked to canine distemper. Pica is a common neurological indicator of the disease during its last wave.[23]

Osteophytes (bone spurs) are visible on both ulnae and elbows, suggesting osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is extremely rare in dog remains prior to the end of the Iron Age; one of the only other known cases is a buried dog from the Tennessee Anderson site, c. 7000 BP. The onset of the condition in the Bonn–Oberkassel dog likely begun around a month before death, at approximately 28 weeks of age.[24] Most typical causes of elbow osteoarthritis in modern young dogs, including ununited anconeal process (UAP), are unlikely to have created the osteophytes seen in the Bonn–Oberkassel dog, although fragmented medial coronoid process has not been completely ruled out.[25] Epileptic seizures linked to canine distemper may have caused the osteoarthritis, through physical trauma from falling down without control.[26]

Treatment by humans[edit]

Unassisted survival of canine distemper is "almost non-existent"; a sample of 544 wild dogs and wolves failed to find a single example of horizontal enamel hypoplasia, characteristic of the disease in puppies.[20] The young Bonn–Oberkassel dog likely required an intensive level of care during its three week infection. The humans caring for the puppy likely would have needed to clean it from the vomit and diarrhea caused by the disease, as well as providing water and possibly food. If the infection occurred during the winter, they would have additionally needed to warm the puppy. Such actions likely indicate that humans felt a close bond, significant compassion, and empathy for the puppy. Caring for the dog would have had no practical purpose for humans, as the prolonged disease required significant effort and likely prevented training.[22][27] A 2018 study suggested the dog was regarded as a pet,[8] possibly belonging to the two people buried alongside it.[28]

Death[edit]

It is unknown whether the dog died from its past illness or other natural causes, or if it was killed in order to bury it alongside the two humans. Killing or sacrifice of dogs alongside human burials is often linked to spiritual, religious, and ritualistic motives, including belief in the afterlife.[29]

Second individual[edit]

A right maxillary molar found in the burial, previously assumed to belong to the Bonn–Oberkassel dog, was found to belong to a separate dog. The molar has a mesiodistal diameter found to fall significantly outside the size predicted for the main specimen, differed in color from the other teeth, and showed signs of significantly more attrition, indicating a smaller and older individual. The tooth was likely used as a grave good.[30]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Not including the loose right mandible molar from a separate individual.[13]
  2. ^ One estimation, extrapolated from the diameter of a left diaphyseal humeral fragment, estimated the height at shoulder level as 46.8 cm.[17]

References[edit]

Citations[edit]

  1. ^ Janssens et al. 2018, pp. 1–2.
  2. ^ a b Janssens et al. 2018, p. 8.
  3. ^ Morey & Jeger 2022, p. 1.
  4. ^ Perri 2017, p. 2.
  5. ^ Morrey 2006, p. 164.
  6. ^ Janssens et al. 2018, pp. 7–8.
  7. ^ a b c d Street, Napierala & Janssens 2015, pp. 1–2.
  8. ^ a b c Janssens et al. 2018, p. 2.
  9. ^ Morrey 2006, p. 168.
  10. ^ Janssens et al. 2018, pp. 6–7.
  11. ^ Street, Napierala & Janssens 2015, pp. 4–5.
  12. ^ Janssens et al. 2018, pp. 2–3.
  13. ^ a b Janssens et al. 2018, pp. 4–5.
  14. ^ Janssens et al. 2016, pp. 2–3.
  15. ^ Morey & Jeger 2022, p. 2.
  16. ^ Janssens et al. 2018, p. 4.
  17. ^ Janssens et al. 2016, p. 3.
  18. ^ Janssens, Napierala & Street 2015, pp. 3–5.
  19. ^ Janssens et al. 2016, p. 2.
  20. ^ a b Janssens et al. 2018, p. 9.
  21. ^ Janssens, Napierala & Street 2015, pp. 8–12.
  22. ^ a b Janssens, Napierala & Street 2015, pp. 10–12.
  23. ^ Janssens, Napierala & Street 2015, p. 9.
  24. ^ Janssens et al. 2016, pp. 3–5.
  25. ^ Janssens et al. 2016, pp. 5–6.
  26. ^ Janssens, Napierala & Street 2015, p. 5.
  27. ^ Janssens et al. 2018, pp. 9–10.
  28. ^ Janssens, Napierala & Street 2015, p. 12.
  29. ^ Janssens et al. 2018, p. 7.
  30. ^ Janssens et al. 2018, pp. 5–7.

Bibliography[edit]

  • Morey, Darcy F.; Jeger, Rujana (2022). "When Dogs and People were Buried Together". Journal of Anthropological Archaeology. 67. doi:10.1016/j.jaa.2022.101434.
  • Janssens, Luc; Giemsch, Liane; Schmitz, Ralf; Street, Martin; Van Dongen, Stefan; Crombé, Philippe (April 2018). "A New Look at an Old Dog: Bonn–Oberkassel Reconsidered". Journal of Archaeological Science. 93: 126–138. doi:10.1016/j.jas.2018.01.004.
  • Perri, Angela (2017). "Typology of Dog Deposition in Archaeological Contexts". In Rowley-Conwy, Peter; Serjeantson, Dale; Halstead, Paul (eds.). Economic Zooarchaeology: Studies in Hunting, Herding and Early Agriculture. Oxford: Oxbow Books. doi:10.2307/j.ctt1s4751q.16. ISBN 9781785704482. JSTOR j.ctt1s4751q.16.
  • Giemsch, Liane; Schmitz, Ralf W., eds. (2015). The Late Glacial Burial from Oberkassel Revisited. Darmstadt: Verlag Philipp von Zabern. ISBN 9783805349703.
    • Street, Martin; Napierala, Hannes; Janssens, Luc. "The Late Palaeolithic Dog from Bonn–Oberkassel in Context".
    • Janssens, Luc; Napierala, Hannes; Street, Martin. "Description and Pathology of the Bonn–Oberkassel Dog".
  • Janssens, L. A. A.; Street, M.; Miller, R.; Hazewinkel, H.A.W.; Giemsch, L.; Schmitz, R. (2016). "The Oldest Case Yet Reported of Osteoarthritis in a Dog: an Archaeological and Radiological Evaluation". Journal of Small Animal Practice. 57 (10): 568–574. doi:10.1111/jsap.12548. PMID 27581723.
  • Morrey, Darcy F. (February 2006). "Burying Key Evidence: the Social Bond Between Dogs and People". Journal of Archaeological Science. 33 (2): 158–175. doi:10.1016/j.jas.2005.07.009.
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