Data from: The palaeogenetics of cat dispersal in the ancient world

The cat has long been important to human societies as a pest-control
agent, object of symbolic value and companion animal, but little is known
about its domestication process and early anthropogenic dispersal. Here we
show, using ancient DNA analysis of geographically and temporally
widespread archaeological cat remains, that both the Near Eastern and
Egyptian populations of Felis silvestris lybica contributed to the gene
pool of the domestic cat at different historical times. While the cat’s
worldwide conquest began during the Neolithic period in the Near East, its
dispersal gained momentum during the Classical period, when the Egyptian
cat successfully spread throughout the Old World. The expansion patterns
and ranges suggest dispersal along human maritime and terrestrial routes
of trade and connectivity. A coat-colour variant was found at high
frequency only after the Middle Ages, suggesting that directed breeding of
cats occurred later than with most other domesticated animals.