Pigs were first domesticated 9000 years ago in China. Recently, however, archeologists have found the remains of a domesticated pig in Turkey, which belonged to 10,000 years ago.

Pig's meat was used in the Middle East for thousands of years. In ancient Iran, pig's fat and flesh were used for medicine and food. The Avesta says that pigs can destroy contamination, and they can destroy diseases such as plague. So pigs were valued animals in ancient Iran.

The ancient Iranians saw boars (wild pigs) as the symbols of power and fierceness. So boars' images were widely used in the art. For example, this seal impression (on the right) from Achaemenid dynasty shows a man hunting a boar.

Later, the Sasanians continued the tradition of using the boar in their art. This 4^th century Sasanian silver and gold plate, for example, shows King Shapur II (309-379) hunting boars.