中国新石器时代至先秦时期遗址出土家犬的动物考古学研究

The Animal Archaeology Research on the Canis Familiaris Unearthed in the Site from the Neolithic Age of China to the Pre-Qin Period

中国最早的家犬出现于属于新石器时代早期的河北省徐水县南庄头遗址（距今约10000年）、家犬的出现是人类驯化动物的开始，在人类的文明史上具有重要的意义。一直到新石器时代中期为止，北方地区在推广驯化家犬方面明显快于南方地区,但是自新石器时代晚期以来,南北方地区在驯化家犬进程上的差并基本消失，饲养家犬成为各个地区人群的日常行为，家犬的体形自新石器时代早期至新石器时代中期有变小的趋势，自新石器时代中期至先秦时期，天部分家犬的体形特征基本没有发生变化,但是也有部分家犬的体形出现小型化和大型化的趋势。家犬在遗址出土的全部哺乳动物中的数量基本上稳定在5～10％之间,家犬可能因地而异、因时而异，在狩猎、守护家园及作为宠物等方面发挥了独特的作用。

The earliest domestic dogs in ancient China were discovered m Nanzhuangtou Site （about 10000BP） in Xushui County, Hebei Province which belonged to the early Neolithic Age,The emergence of domestic dogs was the beginning of the domestication of animals and was of great significance in human history. Until the middle Neolithic Age,the northern region outpaced the southern region in the spread of dog domesticating. Since the late Neolithic Age, the difference between the northern and southern reginm in the process of domesticating dogs almost disappeared, and raising domestic dogs became the daily behavior of human society in various regions. From the early Neolithic Age to the middle Neolithic Age, the body size of domestic dogs had a tendency to become smaller, and from the middle Neolithic Age to the Pre-Qin period, the body size of most domestic dogs basically had no change. But the body size of part of domestic dogs had a tendency of miniaturization and enlargement. The relative abundance of domestic dogs in the total mammal assemblage from archaeological sites remains five to ten percent. The domestic dogs played a unique role in hunting, guarding and acting as pets and so on. Their roles may vary from place to place and from time to time.