I was doing some back reading and noticed that someone on the FML
stated that cats and dogs were domesticated before the ferret. I
wanted to ask - is this true? I have often heard that ferrets were
domesticated before dogs and cats. Hmmm...

It's not quite that simple. Various species of cats were domesticated
in different regions of the world. African cats, Norwegian cats,
Fishing cats....as well as dogs. We know that ferrets have roamed all
over Europe and certain species have been seen in Italy, France, and
more Mediterranean areas. We will never truly know the range of ferrets
in ancient times, or where exactly they were domesticated or when.
Numbers I have seen for ferrets are 2500 years ago, and 8000 for cats.

Given people's superstitions about cats we know that they would have
shared much more of the spotlight in literature and art than a ferret,
and thus we may have more documentation on them. The fact that we have
them known in literature in 450 B.C. as thieves by the Greeks begs the
question - weren't they domesticated far before that point? I bet so.
I wonder if it's simply that they were such an everyday "tool" rather
than a companion animal that we don't see them more in pre-history.
Their remains as well - small as they are, if you have ever seen a
cremated ferret you will marvel as the tiny, fragile bones - could be
easily scattered, lost, or otherwise overlooked in archaeological
sites.

Anyway enough of my ranting on ancient ferrets :)

Laryssa

[Posted in FML 6268]