The Palaeogenetics of Cat Dispersal in the Ancient World

This study sequenced ancient DNA from cat remains spanning roughly ten thousand years across Europe, the Near East, and Africa to trace how cats spread alongside humans. The authors identified two major dispersal waves: an early movement of Near Eastern wildcats with the first farmers, and a later expansion of an Egyptian maternal lineage that radiated across the Mediterranean and beyond during classical antiquity. They also showed that the blotched tabby coat pattern, associated with a Taqpep variant, became common only in the medieval period. The work provided a direct, time-stamped picture of feline dispersal that complemented inferences from modern DNA.