Despite a long and dynamic history of coexistence with humans, the prehistory and domestication of the common pigeon (Columba livia) are not well understood. Here, the authors re-examine a large assemblage of avian bones excavated from Late Bronze Age contexts at Hala Sultan Tekke on Cyprus, aiming to contextualise the presence of pigeons within the settlement and their relationship with contemporaneous humans. The results of zooarchaeological and stable isotope analyses, they argue, suggest that these birds may have been semi-domesticated and may have held a symbolic/ritualistic role that challenges their common perception as mere urban dwellers.
