What CameFirst,the Chicken or the Egg?
Chickens are one of the most economically important animals in the world today. ,Recent advancements in archaeological methodologies have unveiled that numerous bone discoveries,once believed to be evidence of early chíckens,actually belong to wild birds,
Now,in a new publication,an international team of archaeologists,historians, and biomolecular scientists present the earliest clear evidence for the raising of chickens for egg production.Using eggshell fragments collected from 12 archaeological sites covering roughly 1500 years,the researchers show that chickens were widely raised in Central Asia from approximately 400 BCE to 1000 CE and were likely spread along the ancient Silk Road. .It was this trait of productive egg laying,the researchers argue,that made the domestic chicken so attractive to ancient peoples
.They collected tens of thousands of eggshell fragments from sites located along the main Central Asian corridor of the Silk Road.They then used a method of biomolecular analysis called ZooMS to identify the source of the eggs. The identification of these shell fragments as chickens,and their abundance at each site,led the researchers to an important conclusion. .In the wild, this kind of bird nests once per year and typically lays six eggs per clutch(窝). This is the earliest evidence for the loss of seasonal egg laying yet identified in the archaeological record.Meanwhile,it is an important clue for better understanding the mutualistic(共生的)relationships between humans and animals that resulted in domestication
Taken together,the new study suggests an answer to the age-old riddle of the
chicken and the egg. .
A.To reach these conclusions,the team did a lot of work.
B.The abundance of eggshells further suggests that the birds were laying out of season.
C.Yet,the story of how they originated and spread throughout the ancient world remains largely unclear.
D.Research shows chickens were bred throughout southern Central Asia,and were spread along the ancient Silk Road.
E.The birds must have been laying more frequently than their wild ancestor,the red jungle fowl
F.They argue that the loss of seasonal egg laying was the main drive for the spread of domestic chickens across Eurasia and northeast Africa
G.As the evidence in Central Asia suggests,the ability to lay a large number of eggs is what made the chicken the chicken we know today,
