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The processes of domestication and subsequent distribution of animals in Eurasia are closely related to human migrations and intercultural exchanges starting from the end of the Pleistocene. The development of methods for the isolation and analysis of ancient DNA from archaeological and paleontological remains has made it possible to take a new look at both the presumed core regions of domestication and the geography and dynamics of livestock distribution. This paper discusses the reports on the reconstruction of the migration processes of domestic animals in Eurasia using the analysis of ancient DNA performed by leading specialists from Great Britain, France, Finland, Ireland, and Russia at the international symposium on Domestic Animal Archaeogenomics (Bolgar, Republic of Tatarstan, March 2020). In addition to discussing the demographic history of different species of domestic animals, special attention was given to the development of methods for working with ancient DNA and the peculiarities of sample storage and handling. Summarizing the results of the symposium, the authors identified priority areas for future research. The interdisciplinary nature of research and the need to create broad scientific network that includes specialists from different fields were emphasized.

Summarized research data of bird bone remains remnants from 23 archaeological sites located in the Middle Volga area and referring to the 5th–18th centuries AD are presented in the article. The material has been considered in accordance with four cultural-chronological periods: the 5th to 7th centuries AD (the Imenkovo culture); the 10th – first half of the 13th century (Volga Bulgaria); second half of the 13th to the 15th century (the Golden Horde period), and the mid-16th through 18th century (the Middle Volga river region within the Russian state). It has been found that the remains of birds from the medieval and post-medieval archaeological sites of the Middle Volga region reflect a wide specific diversity. The data about the time of domestic birds appearance in the Middle Volga region are provided. The quantitative ratio of bone remains of wild and domestic birds in the period from the Early to the Later Middle Ages and afterwards makes it possible to trace the tendency to the increase in the share of domestic birds. Bird utilization by different ethnic groups of the medieval population of the region was diverse: for food, for feathers and down, as well as in ritual and religious practice.