DNA and archaeology reveal 10,000-year connection between humans and fallow deer

Modern populations of fallow deer possess hidden cultural histories dating back to the Roman Empire, which should be factored into decisions around their management and conservation.

New research, bringing together DNA analysis with archaeological insights, has revealed how fallow deer have been repeatedly moved to new territories by humans, often as a symbol of colonial power or because of ancient cultures and religions.

The results show that the animal was first introduced into Britain by the Romans and not the Normans, as previously believed. The findings also reveal how British colonial links during the 17th–19th centuries played a key role in spreading the deer around the world, including the Caribbean island of Barbuda, where fallow deer are the national animal.

The research, conducted jointly by Durham University and the University of Exeter, compares contemporary fallow deer records with zooarchaeological samples dating back 10,000 years.

The work has been published in two new studies, simultaneously. “The 10,000-year biocultural history of fallow deer and its implications for conservation policy” is featured in the latest edition of PNAS, while “Ancient and modern DNA tracks temporal and spatial population dynamics in the European fallow deer since the Eemian interglacial” appears in Scientific Reports.

Dr. Karis Baker, Department of Biosciences, Durham University, said, “Over the last 10,000 years, humans have manipulated fallow deer populations with varying outcomes. Persian fallow deer (Dama mesopotamica) are now endangered, while European fallow deer (Dama dama) are globally widespread and simultaneously considered wild, domestic, endangered, invasive and are even the national animal of Barbuda and Antigua. But despite this close association with people, there has been little consensus regarding their natural ranges or the timing and circumstances of their human-mediated translocations.”

Using several hundred DNA samples extracted from both modern and archaeological deer specimens around the world—including the oldest sample so far sequenced from the UK at 130,000 years old—the researchers were able to generate an evolutionary history “tree” for the animal.

The analysis revealed two distinct European fallow deer populations. The first originated in the Balkans and extended right across Southern and Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman Empire—including to England—but today survives only in pockets of Spain, Italy and the Greek Islands.

The second originated in Anatolia and remained relatively isolated until it was brought to Britain in 1000 AD, from where it was taken around the world. A third group—the Persian fallow deer—was once widespread throughout southwest Asia but is now listed as Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

Professor Rus Hoelzel, in the Molecular Ecology Group, Durham University Department of Biosciences, said, “These data provide a number of fascinating insights. For example, populations in southern Europe show indications of being stable for extended periods of time suggesting very early translocation from a likely glacial refuge in the Balkans.”

Combining the genetic data with archaeological and historical records enabled the team to build a picture of how fallow deer has been translocated by people at different times and in varying cultural contexts. The animal’s strong association with Greco-Roman goddesses Artemis and Diana, for example, would have driven much of its movements around the Mediterranean during the Bronze Age, Iron Age and Roman period.

Source: Durham University

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