Wild boars in Israel found to have European, not Middle East, origins

Wild boars found in Israel came from a different source than those that roam the rest of the Middle East from Egypt to Iran, Tel Aviv University scientists say. Genetic and archaeological analyses suggest that, unlike the Near Eastern wild boars in surrounding countries, Israel's wild boars originated in Europe, they said. Israel's wild boars are descendants of domesticated pigs brought to area starting almost 3,000 years ago by the Philistines and other seafaring raiders, they said. "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 B.C.," archaeologist Israel Finkelstein said in a university release Monday. "Given the concentration of pig bones found at Philistine archaeological sites, the European pigs likely came over in the Philistines' boats." Wild boars analyzed in Israel share a European genetic signature, the researchers said, whereas modern-day boars from nearby countries such as Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Armenia, Iraq and Iran have a Near Eastern genetic signature. The domestic European pigs brought to Israel over centuries could have driven the local pigs to extinction, they said, or more likely mated with them. Ongoing DNA tests should provide evidence of which was the more significant impact, they said.