1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:06,360 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio, Hey 2 00:00:06,440 --> 00:00:10,760 Speaker 1: Rain Stuff Lauren boglebom here with another classic episode. When 3 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:13,680 Speaker 1: this one first came out, research had just been published 4 00:00:13,760 --> 00:00:17,639 Speaker 1: showing the keeping dogs as pets, leashes and everything is 5 00:00:17,640 --> 00:00:23,880 Speaker 1: a practice way older than anyone previously suspected. Welcome to 6 00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:28,720 Speaker 1: brain Stuff from How Stuff Works, Hey brain Stuff, Lauren 7 00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:32,320 Speaker 1: bogobom here, Your dog might not like being on a leash. 8 00:00:32,479 --> 00:00:35,000 Speaker 1: He loves walks, of course, but could it be his 9 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:37,919 Speaker 1: glances are sometimes a touch reproachful. As he gazes at 10 00:00:37,960 --> 00:00:40,720 Speaker 1: you over the pile of leaves he's snuffling. The look 11 00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:44,880 Speaker 1: might be saying, I am hurt by your distrust your ancestors. 12 00:00:44,960 --> 00:00:48,159 Speaker 1: Let my ancestors roam free and now here I a 13 00:00:48,280 --> 00:00:52,320 Speaker 1: noble beast and chained. If your dog lays that one 14 00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:54,520 Speaker 1: on you, your best recourse is to show him the 15 00:00:54,520 --> 00:00:58,720 Speaker 1: world's oldest known dog art. Ancient humans may have been primitive, 16 00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:01,160 Speaker 1: but even nine years ago they seem to have been 17 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:04,400 Speaker 1: wise to the ways of the canine. A study published 18 00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:08,399 Speaker 1: in the Journal of Anthropological Archaeology in November seventeen describes 19 00:01:08,480 --> 00:01:11,480 Speaker 1: recently discovered rock carvings in the northwestern region of the 20 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:16,200 Speaker 1: Saudi Arabian Desert. They illustrate prehistoric hunting practices using dogs 21 00:01:16,280 --> 00:01:20,560 Speaker 1: as assistants. The depicted dogs look much like modern Canan dogs, 22 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:24,600 Speaker 1: with erect ears, long feathery tails, and short snouts. Each 23 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:27,560 Speaker 1: one has a distinctive coat pattern, suggesting the artists knew 24 00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:30,800 Speaker 1: the dogs personally and similar to modern dogs. Two are 25 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:34,039 Speaker 1: shown tethered to the waste of a human hunter. The 26 00:01:34,080 --> 00:01:36,400 Speaker 1: engravings were discovered as part of a project led by 27 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:38,840 Speaker 1: a research team from the Max Planck Institute for the 28 00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:41,960 Speaker 1: Science of Human History in partnership with the Saudi Commission 29 00:01:41,959 --> 00:01:45,559 Speaker 1: for Tourism and National Heritage. Over one thousand, four hundred 30 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:49,040 Speaker 1: rock art panels showing almost seven thousand animals, ranging from 31 00:01:49,280 --> 00:01:52,200 Speaker 1: lions and leopards to gazelle and wild donkeys, have been 32 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:55,200 Speaker 1: found during the studies three year run, but these dogs 33 00:01:55,280 --> 00:01:57,560 Speaker 1: might be the most exciting find because they give us 34 00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:00,640 Speaker 1: clues to when and why dogs were domesticated by humans. 35 00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:03,960 Speaker 1: It is very difficult to date rock engravings, but the 36 00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:07,080 Speaker 1: research team estimated these to be around nine thousand years old, 37 00:02:07,360 --> 00:02:11,040 Speaker 1: making them probably the oldest depictions of human dog interactions 38 00:02:11,040 --> 00:02:14,440 Speaker 1: ever found. Even if they're overshooting their estimate the next 39 00:02:14,440 --> 00:02:17,160 Speaker 1: oldest dog art would be on some Iranian pottery that's 40 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:20,480 Speaker 1: about eight thousand years old. These newly found drawings certainly 41 00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:23,240 Speaker 1: are the oldest depiction of a leashes. Before this find, 42 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:26,280 Speaker 1: the oldest art showing restrained dogs was from a five thousand, 43 00:02:26,280 --> 00:02:30,320 Speaker 1: five hundred year old Egyptian wall painting. Although this rock 44 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:32,840 Speaker 1: art gives us a better sense of how humans interacted 45 00:02:32,880 --> 00:02:35,480 Speaker 1: with dogs during this time, it's possible that dogs were 46 00:02:35,480 --> 00:02:39,639 Speaker 1: domesticated much earlier, possibly between fifteen thousand and thirty thousand 47 00:02:39,720 --> 00:02:42,840 Speaker 1: years ago, and the domestication process may have happened more 48 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:46,280 Speaker 1: than once. It's not known whether the leashes in these 49 00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:49,639 Speaker 1: rock art panels are literal or symbolic, but it certainly 50 00:02:49,720 --> 00:02:52,560 Speaker 1: suggests that these Holocene hunters had a lot of control 51 00:02:52,600 --> 00:02:54,800 Speaker 1: over their dogs, that some dogs could have been more 52 00:02:54,880 --> 00:02:57,800 Speaker 1: valuable than others and therefore kept closer, and that the 53 00:02:57,840 --> 00:03:07,800 Speaker 1: people likely bred and trained these prehistoric pooches. Today's episode 54 00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:10,360 Speaker 1: was written by Jesslyn Shields and produced by Tristan McNeil 55 00:03:10,440 --> 00:03:13,120 Speaker 1: and Tyler Clang. For more in this lots of other topics, 56 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:16,040 Speaker 1: visit House to Forks dot com. Brainstuff is production of 57 00:03:16,040 --> 00:03:19,000 Speaker 1: I Heart radio or more podcasts My heart Radio, visit 58 00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:21,600 Speaker 1: the i heart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you 59 00:03:21,639 --> 00:03:22,920 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.