Domestic cats only started appearing in Europe about 2,000 years ago, much later than previously believed, and with a surprising assist from the Roman military, according to a new study. The research, published in Science, analyzed the genomes of 70 ancient cats from archaeological sites across Europe and Turkey, along with DNA from 17 modern wildcats from Europe and North Africa, to piece together the feline migration story. While previous theories suggested cats arrived in Europe with Neolithic farmers around 6,000 years ago, the new genetic evidence points to a much later arrival, coinciding with the spread of the Roman Empire, per Popular Science.
The study finds the domestic cat (Felis catus) originated in North Africa, spread to Europe with the rise of the Roman Empire, and reached Britain by the 1st century AD, per CNN. Another study, published in Cell Genomics, suggests the cats then reached China by 730, helped by travelers along the Silk Road. The first study notes Roman soldiers may have brought cats along as a practical solution for controlling rodents, mirroring the relationship that likely began when wildcats were attracted to early human settlements by the promise of plentiful grain-eating pests.
In China, a different, unrelated feline species known as the leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) lived alongside humans from at least 5,400 years ago until AD 150, but was never fully domesticated, according to the Cell Genomics study. Similarly, researchers say cats dating to earlier than 200 BC in Europe were undomesticated European wildcats (Felis silvestris), though they may have lived alongside humans.
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