Guinea pig remains from the XVIth century Ojców castle (southern Poland)

The mandible of a guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) was found in osteological material collected during archaeological excavations at Ojców Castle (southern Poland). The bone fragment was radiocarbon dated and subjected to ancient DNA analysis. The age of this guinea pig mandible fragment was directly dated between the late 16th and the early 17th century. The radiocarbon dating results are compatible with dating based on stratigraphic position. The ancient DNA analysis confirmed the taxonomic identification and indicated possible routes of introduction of this species into Europe. Given the high-status of the castle’s possessors in the 16–17th centuries, it can be assumed that the single guinea pig bone in Ojców belonged to a pet and was probably not acquired as a source of food, which also may have been the case in the few other European archaeological sites with guinea pig remains.