The other best friend of humanity: the donkey was already domestic 7,000 years ago in Africa

For thousands of years, the

(

) has accompanied human societies, providing a valuable

and

across deserts and rugged mountains.

And today, these animals remain

for community development in many rugged and semi-arid regions of the planet.

But, despite this fundamental role and the importance it had in many ancient societies in Africa, Europe and Asia, the reality is that little is known about its long common history with humans.

Especially in regards to the

of this relationship and the

breeding selection on their genomes.

Now, a DNA analysis of modern and ancient specimens reveals the origins, expansion and genetic evolution that followed the domestication of this animal.

The team of researchers - which has brought together 49 scientists from 37 laboratories around the world - has focused on the

of donkeys that live in

, which they have combined with the available genetic material from specimens that lived in other times, applying the most advanced technologies in the investigation of ancient genetic material.

The findings of the study are published this Thursday in the latest issue of the journal

and could help, the authors hope, to

local environments.

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"The current donkeys that live in different regions of the world show

, especially between the African, European and Asian continents", points out

, researcher at the Center for Anthropobiology and Genomics of the CNRS/University of Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, first study author.

The researcher adds that mapping this genetic diversity is complex since modern breeding and trade may have exchanged animals in very distant regions.

In this sense, ancient genomes help researchers

, by placing certain genetic characteristics with certainty at a specific time and territory.

Thus, researchers point to an

of

about 7,000 years ago.

The model they have built points to an original range stretching from the northeastern Sahara, the Nile Valley, the Atbara River and the Red Sea foothills to Eritrea.

The authors stress that around this time the Sahara region, which for thousands of years had been green and lush, became one of the

on the planet.

Although donkeys do not have a reputation for being a particularly fast animal, the study points out that about 4,500 years ago they spread very

from the African continent, expanding to Asia and Europe in the following millennium.

A development driven largely by

.

It also reveals the presence of previously unknown lineages.

One of them, for example, lived in the Middle East about 2,000 years ago and its legacy has been identified in current donkeys throughout Europe and Asia.

Trade and breeding

Ancient DNA analyzes show that donkeys were already being traded between Europe and Africa via the Mediterranean in

, and that exchanges took place in both directions that continued after the fall of the Roman Empire and left the

most important in modern West African donkeys.

The beginnings of donkey domestication have long been the subject of

.

Regions such as the

have been proposed as candidates.

"There is strong archaeological evidence for the existence of donkeys in ancient Egypt and also in Yemen and Mesopotamia. Experts debate whether this could indicate that donkeys were domesticated multiple times, both within and outside of Africa," explains Todd.

Several donkeys in the Copenhagen zoo. FRANK RONSHOT

In this study, the researchers have not limited themselves to tracking global patterns of donkey management techniques.

For example, they found a mule

at Boinville-en-Woëvre, a Roman site in northern France dating from the 2nd to 5th centuries AD. Genetic evidence here echoes the texts of Roman writers describing that the selective breeding of animals of exceptional stature was already a

and a

at the time.

Breeders at that site seem to have produced especially inbred varieties of giant asses at a time when mules provided the most widespread workforce for transporting

and

across an empire stretching thousands of miles. .

The cross between these specimens and female horses allowed breeders to produce particularly appreciated mules.

Difference with horses

In addition, the researchers reveal that

specimens also contributed a part of their genes to domestic varieties in various regions of the world.

As Evelyn Todd explains, "This is probably a reflection of

of local donkey populations in some African regions and on the Arabian Peninsula."

On the other hand, the study reveals an important

between the donkey and its closest relative, the

.

"While modern horses were domesticated in the western steppes of

, donkeys derive from Northeast

," explains the researcher.

"The donkeys of Africa, Europe and Asia are very different from each other, but the horses show a limited continental separation, which shows that there was less exchange of donkeys between the different continents throughout history. These differences show

and their diverse roles in human societies".

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