Early Animal Domestication And Its Cultural Context

The transition from hunting and gathering to food production is one of the most significant developments in all of human prehistory, since it led to profound changes in population, settlement patterns, and technology. The authors examine the process of early animal domestication in the Near East, South Asia, and Europe, focusing on the cultural context of early animal husbandry. MASCA Vol. 6 Supplement

The Arthur M. Sackler Colloquia of the National Academy of Sciences address scientific topics of broad and current interest, cutting across the boundaries of traditional disciplines. Each year, four or five such colloquia are scheduled, typically two days in length and international in scope. Colloquia are organized by a member of the Academy, often with the assistance of an organizing committee, and feature presentations by leading scientists in the field and discussions with a hundred or more researchers with an interest in the topic. Colloquia presentations are recorded and posted on the National Academy of Sciences Sackler colloquia website and published on CD-ROM. These Colloquia are made possible by a generous gift from Mrs. Jill Sackler, in memory of her husband, Arthur M. Sackler.

This book brings together several new ways of thinking about pigs in the past, creating a dialogue by drawing on several kinds of approaches—from geography, ethnography, zoology, history, and archaeology—to enrich the way we all understand the evidence found in archaeological sites. MASCA Research Papers in Science and Archaeology 15

The domestication of plants and animals was one of the greatest steps forward taken by mankind. Although it was first achieved long ago, we still need to know what led to it and how, and even when, it took place. Only when we have this understanding will we be able to appreciate fully the important social and economic consequences of this step. Even more important, an understanding of this achievement is basic to any insight into modern man's relationship to his habitat. In the last decade or two a change in methods of investigating these events has taken place, due to the mutual realization by archaeologists and natural scientists that each held part of the key and neither alone had the whole. Inevitably, perhaps, the floodgate that was opened has resulted in a spate of new knowledge, which is scattered in the form of specialist reports in diverse journals. This volume results from presentations at the Institute of Archaeology, London University, discussing the domestication and exploitation of plants and animals. Workers in the archaeological, anthropological, and biological fields attempted to bridge the gap between their respective disciplines through personal contact and discussion. Modern techniques and the result of their application to the classical problems of domestication, selection, and spread of cereals and of cattle were discussed, but so were comparable problems in plants and animals not previously considered in this context. Although there were differing opinions on taxonomic classification, the editors have standardized and simplified the usage throughout this book. In particular, they have omitted references to authorities and adopted the binomial classification for both botanical and zoological names. They followed this procedure in all cases except where sub-specific differences are discussed and also standardized orthography of sites.

The first modern scholarly synthesis of animal domestication Across the globe and at different times in the past millennia, the evolutionary history of domesticated animals has been greatly affected by the myriad, complex, and diverse interactions humans have had with the animals closest to them. The Process of Animal Domestication presents a broad synthesis of this subject, from the rich biology behind the initial stages of domestication to how the creation of breeds reflects cultural and societal transformations that have impacted the biosphere. Marcelo Sánchez-Villagra draws from a wide range of fields, including evolutionary biology, zooarchaeology, ethnology, genetics, developmental biology, and evolutionary morphology to provide a fresh perspective to this classic topic. Relying on various conceptual and technical tools, he examines the natural history of phenotypes and their developmental origins. He presents case studies involving mammals, birds, fish, and insect species, and he highlights the importance of domestication for the comprehension of evolution, anatomy, ontogeny, and dozens of fundamental biological processes. Bringing together the most current developments, The Process of Animal Domestication will interest a wide range of readers, from evolutionary biologists, developmental biologists, and geneticists to anthropologists and archaeologists.

This is the first practical archaeological study of Irish Iron Age lorinery. The horse and associated equipment were very much at the heart of the social changes set in motion by contact with the Roman Empire; the examination of the snaffles and bosals allows us to bring the people of the Late Iron Age in Ireland into focus.

This book is the second volume of a much larger project, Ancient Pakistan - An Archaelogical History, which deals with the prehistory of Pakistan from the Stone Age to the end of the Indus Civilization ca. 1500 BC. This particular volume, A Prelude to Civilization, is concerned with the beginning of agriculture, sedentary living and the emergence of village farming communities in the Greater Indus Valley, leaving the reader at the threshold of the Harappan Civilization. The material is generously illustrated with a large number of maps, tables, drawings, and photographs. A comprehensive bibliography is provided for those who want to dig deeper into the subject.

They migrated not only with the language they spoke and their DNAs but also with their cows, bulls and buffaloes. With them went their dogs, chicken and goats. They carried with them the seeds of barley and rice and wheat. And the mice and shrews followed them. They spread the pottery and the figurines, the art and culture of India to Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Jordan and Israel and further west. This is the story of out-of-India migration of the farmers between 8000 BCE to 1500 BCE from Mehrgarh and the later Harappa Civilization located in the Indus-Sarasvati Valley of Northwest India, from Vindhya region, and the Ganga Valley in Central India and from the Brahmaputra Valley of Assam. Based on archaeological records of not only India, but also China, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Levant, and the genetic studies of man, animals and plants, both modern and ancient. A book for everyone interested in authentic evidence-based prehistory of India and her contributions to Asia, Europe and Africa during the Neolithic, Copper Age and Bronze Age. Appropriate citations and detailed bibliography, as well as a subject index, have been provided. The book lays to rest the speculative type of prehistory of India and the Aryan Invasion hypothesis.