An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c6.s7.2

v1.c6.s7.2

At NEVASA, both in the Chalcolithic as well as historical levels, apart from *Felis catus domesticus*, two feral species, *Felis libyca* and *Felis bengalensis*, were also found. The latter, commonly called the leopard cat, is found throughout India, while the former, the desert cat, which presently occupies the region of the Great Indian Desert and the arid zone of c. India, is believed to be the ancestor of *Felis catus domesticus*, originally introduced into India from Egypt where it was first domesticated in *c.* 3000 B.C. A few cat bones from Harappa levels, *c.* 2000 B.C., have been identified as belonging to a domesticated variety (Prashad, 1936), but the evidence is unsubstantiated.