Ancient sacrificial dog DNA reveals North–South interactions during the late Shang Dynasty in northern China

Abstract

During the Shang Dynasty in ancient China, dog domestication, dog consumption, and the utilization of dogs peaked. In this study, we analysed the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of 36 dogs from the Zhoujiazhuang site in Hebei Province, China. We successfully obtained 21 high-quality complete mitochondrial genomes, revealing the maternal genetic structure of the dog population. The results revealed that the majority of dogs belonged to the A haplogroup (20/21), but they were further classified into different subhaplogroups. Through comparisons with other dogs from surrounding regions, we found that both northern Eurasia and southern East Asia dogs may have influenced the maternal genetic heritage of dogs in North China. This finding sheds light on the social context behind dog domestication, specifically the trade and exchanges between populations in the north and south.