考古学家在秘鲁发现1200年前的木乃伊无毛犬

考古学家在秘鲁瓦里帝国时期的卡斯蒂略德瓦美遗址中发现了距今1200年前的无毛犬遗骸，其中包括一具完整的木乃伊犬和341块犬骨标本，代表至少19只个体犬只1。该遗址位于利马北部190英里处，占地110英亩，年代为600-1050年间，比印加帝国早约400年1。

研究人员通过同位素分析和骨骼特征研究发现，这些犬只具有独特的遗传特征，包括缺失第一前臼齿，而这一特征与无毛性状由同一基因控制1。通过饮食分析发现，这些犬只至少食用过玉米，其饮食与人类相似1。三具特别引人关注的遗骸包括：一具保留了皮肤和耳朵、涂有红色朱砂颜料的头骨；一具较大头骨加完整骨骼的雄犬；以及埋在浅坑中的雄犬，其中有一只估算年龄为6-8周龄的幼犬1。

达特茅斯学院、华沙大学和匹兹堡大学的研究人员认为，这些犬只在瓦里社会中地位特殊，其埋葬方式表明它们受到了不同于其他犬只的对待1。参与研究的韦罗妮卡·汤姆茨克表示："我们将永远不知道这三只犬中是否有任何一只是宠物，或人们如何对待它们，但显然它们受到的待遇不同于其他犬只。"1 这一发现已于2026年发表在《人类学考古学杂志》第82卷中1。

Researchers from Dartmouth College, the University of Warsaw, and the University of Pittsburgh have uncovered evidence of ancient hairless dogs at the Castillo de Huarmey archaeological site in Peru, located 190 miles north of Lima 1. The site spans 110 acres and dates to the Wari Empire period between 600 and 1050 CE, approximately 400 years before the rise of the Inca Empire 1. The excavation revealed 341 dog bone specimens representing at least 19 individual animals, along with one intact mummified specimen that is at least 1,200 years old 1.

Among the discoveries were three particularly notable remains: a skull retaining skin and ears, colored with red cinnabar pigment; a larger skull paired with a complete skeleton of a male dog; and a male dog buried in a shallow pit 1. Analysis of a puppy estimated at 6 to 8 weeks old provided additional insights into the animals' characteristics 1. The dogs exhibited unique genetic traits, including the absence of first premolars, a feature controlled by the same gene responsible for their hairlessness 1. Isotope analysis and dietary studies indicated that these animals consumed corn, overlapping significantly with human diet patterns 1.

The burial practices and treatment of these three dogs suggest they held a special status within Wari society, distinct from other animals in the archaeological record 1. As researcher Weronika Tomczyk noted, "We will never know whether any of these three dogs was a pet, or how people treated them, but clearly they were treated differently from other dogs" 1. The findings were published in the Journal of Anthropological Archaeology in 2026, volume 82, page 101767 1.