Why did the chicken cross the Wallace Line? Archeological evidence suggests human‐mediated dispersal of <i>Gallus</i> to Flores first occurred at least ~2.25 ka cal. BP

Domesticated chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) are a dominant part of the global human diet. Although early domestication history this species remains disputed, Mainland Southeast Asia (MSEA) is assumed to have been initial center. The eastward spread into Island (ISEA) and Pacific typically attributed human-mediated dispersals. Chicken relatively common at Neolithic sites but extremely rare in archaeological records MSEA ISEA. Therefore, exact routes timing from their native range remain questions interest. Here, we present earliest evidence Gallus on Indonesian island Flores Liang Bua. This site has yielded an extensive stratigraphic sequence that spans ~190,000 calendar years (ka) ago until includes dense accumulations faunal remains. Twelve bones cave's Holocene deposits identified as Gallus. oldest remains, right left coracoid, were each directly dated ~2,250 calibrated radiocarbon before (ka cal. BP), whereas youngest elements ~0.3 ka old. wild Green Junglefowl varius) Red gallus) found today, absence either these Bua older than ~2.5 well size shape coracoids suggests likely represent domesticated G. gallus. first for Wallacea. fossil record ISEA (and perhaps also) reached Wallacea via dispersal(s) least ~2.25 BP.