Biomolecular evidence of ancient chickens on the Korean Peninsula: ZooMS analysis of avian remains from the Gungok-ri site, South Korea

초록

The Korean Peninsula plays a crucial role in tracing the dispersal of domestic chickens across East Asia. However, distinguishing domestic chickens from wild pheasants remains challenging in Korean archaeology due to their close morphological similarities. In this study, we analyzed bone collagen peptides from 14 Phasianidae specimens excavated at the Gungok-ri site using collagen peptide mass fingerprinting (ZooMS) to assess the presence of domestic chickens in ancient Korea. The Gungok-ri site, located in southwestern Korea, is an important archaeological site from the Proto–Three Kingdoms period. Our ZooMS analysis identified five of the Phasianidae remains as chickens (Gallus gallus). Radiocarbon dating places these identified chickens between 80 CE and 361 CE. Additionally, their enriched δ15N values (∼4 ‰) suggest that these chickens were domesticated and managed by the inhabitants of the Gungok-ri. These stable isotope results provide clear evidence that domestic chickens were raised and managed on the Korean Peninsula during the Proto–Three Kingdoms period (108 BCE-313 CE). © 2025 Elsevier Ltd

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