What practice characterized the early Near East domestication of *Sus scrofa* around 13,000 BCE?
Answer
Free-ranging practices where pigs foraged more independently.
The domestication process initiated in the Near East, near the Tigris Basin, roughly 13,000 to 12,700 BCE, involved methods distinct from those used concurrently in China. This early Near Eastern approach emphasized keeping the pigs free-ranging, allowing them significant independence in foraging for sustenance. Consequently, the visible physical alterations in these early domesticated animals were slower to manifest, resulting in stock that retained a strong resemblance to their wild ancestors, unlike the rapidly modified pigs seen in the Chinese lineage.

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