Recent archaeological findings have unveiled a fascinating aspect of early animal husbandry on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. A comprehensive study, which melds genetics with archaeology, indicates that the inhabitants of the southern Qinghai-Xizang Plateau were engaged in the crossbreeding of yak and cattle as far back as 2,500 years ago. These findings are pivotal in understanding the domestication of yaks and the high-altitude adaptability of cattle. The study, titled “Evidence for early domestic yak, taurine cattle, and their hybrids on the Tibetan Plateau,” was published in the Science Advance journal.
A team of researchers from Sichuan University, Northwest A&F University, and Washington University in St. Louis spearheaded this study. They meticulously collected and analyzed the remains of 193 yaks, cattle, and their hybrids from excavations at the Bangga site in Shannan, located in Southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region. The artifacts date back to approximately 2,700 to 2,350 years ago.
In the challenging environment of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, domesticated yaks, cattle, and their hybrid offspring have played a crucial role in human survival and settlement. These animals have been integral in high-altitude agriculture, plowing fields, transporting goods, and providing essential resources such as milk, meat, fiber, and dung for fuel.
From 2015 to 2018, archaeologists unearthed over 10,000 mammalian remains at the Bangga site, a significant prehistoric stone building complex situated at an altitude of about 3,750 meters. These findings cover a period between 3,000 and 2,200 years ago.
The study’s genetic analysis revealed that cattle in this region possessed between 12.1% to 19.5% domesticated yak ancestry. This evidence suggests that yak-cattle crossbreeding was a common practice 2,500 years ago, and the ancient people of Xizang had already harnessed the benefits of these hybrids.
Professor Lei Chuzhao from Northwest A&F University, a key contributor to the study, emphasized the significance of integrating animal archaeology with genetics in this research. The genetic continuity established between the cattle bones found at the Bangga site and those unearthed at the 3,900-year-old Shimao site in Northwest China indicates that these cattle were likely introduced to the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau from northwestern China during prehistoric times.
The findings suggest that the introduction of taurine cattle to the Bangga region likely originated from northwestern China. Moreover, the evidence of livestock rearing alongside the cultivation of barley and wheat at the Bangga site points to a diversified lifestyle that combined farming and animal husbandry in the southern Qinghai-Xizang Plateau from 3,000 to 2,000 years ago. This study not only sheds light on the ancient practices of animal domestication but also provides valuable insights into the adaptability and resilience of early human societies in high-altitude environments.
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