Introduction

The domestic pig (Sus scrofa domesticus) belongs to the Artiodaktyla order and the Suidae family which it shares with wild species such as the African warthog and the Indonesian babirusa. The European wild boar was domesticated 10,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent of the Near East.

New scientific data obtained by DNA techniques on zoo-archaeological remains, indicate that all modern pig breeds descend from crosses of primeval domestic pigs with wild boars existing within Europe.

In Greece the first remains of domesticated pigs are dated at 9,000 years ago and were discovered in archaeological excavations in Crete. In West Macedonia prehistoric pig remains are dated at 8,500 years ago.

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