In many modern metropolises, pigeons are often dismissed as dirty city pests. However, groundbreaking new research is rewriting the history of our relationship with these resilient birds, revealing that they were once far more than mere urban scavengers.
According to a new study published in the journal Antiquity, pigeons were first domesticated approximately 3,500 years ago. This discovery suggests that these birds have been integrated into human society for nearly a millennium longer than historians and scientists previously believed.
Throughout history, pigeons served diverse and critical roles. They provided a reliable source of meat and fertilizer, and in various cultures, they emerged as potent religious symbols. Perhaps most famously, they served as indispensable messengers, bridging the gap between distant locations long before the digital age.
Anderson Carter, a bioarchaeologist at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, notes that the shift in human perception was a relatively recent phenomenon. "Humans forgetting about pigeons happened relatively recently in human history," Carter explained.
The birds remained vital assets well into the 19th and 20th centuries. The lead author of the study highlighted their strategic importance during wartime, where pigeons were used to carry critical messages across battlefields when other forms of communication were unavailable.
The decline of the pigeon's social status coincided with the rapid pace of technological innovation. The invention of the telegraph and subsequently the telephone rendered the avian messenger obsolete. As these advancements accelerated, pigeons were effectively "out of a job," transitioning from valued partners to the overlooked residents of our city squares.
Reference(s):
Forgotten friends: new research shows we loved pigeons 3,500 years ago
cgtn.com
