Israel's Wild Boar have Different Genetic Origins than Region's Other Boar

Wild boar roaming the fields of Israel have their generic origins in Europe, rather than the Middle East as previously assumed, according to new research from Tel Aviv University (TAU).

Unlike the Near Eastern wild boar, which can be found throughout countries neighboring Israel, the wild boar of Israel appear to be descendants of domesticated pigs brought to the land as far back as 3,000 years ago when the seafaring Philistines and other people arrived in Israel, according to a multidisciplinary study published in the journal Scientific Reports.

"Our DNA analysis proves that the wild boars living in Israel today are the descendants of European pigs brought here starting in the Iron Age, around 900 BCE," said Israel Finkelstein of TAU's Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near East Civilizations. "Given the concentration of pig bones found at Philistine archaeological sites, the European pigs likely came over in the Philistines' boats."

Finkelstein and his colleagues used DNA testing to identify the origins of Israel's wild boar. Generally, genetics researchers classify the pigs of the world into three groups with distinct genetic signatures: European, Far Eastern and Near Eastern.

"To the researchers' surprise, each of the 25 modern-day wild boars they analyzed from Israel share a European genetic signature, whereas modern-day boars from nearby countries, like Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Armenia, Iraq, and Iran, have a Near Eastern genetic signature," TAU said in a news release. "The researchers conclude that European pigs arrived in Israel at some point and overtook the local pig population."

To determine exactly when the European pigs arrived in Israel, the researchers analyzed pig bones collected from archaeological sites around the country ranging from the Neolithic period to medieval times, or from 9500 BCE to 1200 CE.

The analysis is being called the most comprehensive study of ancient DNA ever carried out in Israel in terms of time span and number of samples.

"The results showed that pigs from the Bronze Age and the beginning of the Iron Age display the local Near Eastern genetic signature, while a European genetic signature appears early in the Iron Age, around 900 BCE, and has been dominant ever since," TAU reported, adding that the European pig breeds were most likely introduced by seafaring people, including the Philistines, who arrived on the coast and eventually settled in places like Gaza and Ashdod. European pigs could have also been brought over during the Roman-Byzantine period during the Crusades, the researchers said.

"If the European pigs mated with the local pigs, as we suspect, today's modern wild boars should have some Near Eastern DNA," said TAU's Meirav Meiri, who conducted the laboratory work for the study. "If the European pigs just out-competed the locals, we'd expect the wild boars to have purely European DNA."