Domestication of plants and animals

Domestication of plants and animals

Article purpose:

• domestication of plants and animals as transition from Paleolithic to Neolithic
• sedentary lifestyle as preceding and not necessarily the result of that transition from paleolithic to neolithic
• domestication across time and space, including
  • dogs
  • horses
  • grasses
  • tubers (enlarged, fleshy stem, usually underground of plants such as carrots, potatoes, yams)

todo:

• see Lil J p. 236 on 3 advantages of Fertile Crescent
• break into separate articles for plants and animals

Domestication etymology

• "domestication"
  • = act of taming, breeding, controlling plants and animals
  • from domestic ("or or for the house") + -ation (making of)
    • = making something of the house (home)
    • from Latin domus for house, household, home
      • from PIE *dem- meaning the same
• definitions and uses of the word "domestic"
  • domestic (noun)
    • a person who works in a house or home, generally for cleaning, cooking, child care
    • a locally or nationally made product (not made overseas)
  • domestic (adj)
    • related to the household
      • as in "domestic chores" or "domestic life"
    • related, from, or made in a country
      • as in "the domestic economy" or "domestic production"
    • an animal kept in a house
• domesticated
  • past participle adjective
  • = "having been tamed"
    • generally for animals
  • or having been brought into a home or household

Domestication origins timeline

Domestication of Animals Timeline

20,000 BC	10,000 BC	5,000 BC	2,000 BC	1 AD	1000 AD	1500 AD
dogs domestication dates uncertain, perhaps between 25,000 and 12,000 BC	cattle, goats, pigs, sheep domesticated in the Fertile Cresent (Mideast)	pigs domesticated in Southeast Asia approx. 6,000 BC	chickens domesticated in East Asia approx. 2,000 BC	turkey domesticated in North America approx. 200-500 AD	camels used in trans-Saharan trade by 600'/700s AD	spread of animals from Eurasia and Africa to the Americas, including horses, cattle, chickens, pigs, sheep, etc.
	cattle domesticated in South Asia (in modern Pakistan) approx. 8,000 BC	horses first domesticated for milk approx. 4,000 BC; likely used for transportation approx. 3,500-3000 BC in central Asia	donkey domesticated in East Africa approx. 3,000-4,000 BC (were used Egypt by 2600-2800 BC and in the Middle East by 1800 BC)
		cats may have been domesticated in Egypt approx. 3,000 BC	turkey domesticated in Mesoamerica approx. 1,000 BC
			camels domesticated in Central Asia approx. 2500 BC (and in Middle East approx. 900 BC)

Domestication of animals

• domestication of animals is distinct (different) from taming
  • taming = conditioning or changing the behavior of a wild animal to accept human presence
  • taming does not involve genetic modification via breeding
• an animal is "domesticated" when traits are "selected for" by humans through breeding

domesticated animal traits

• imprinting

Camel

• originated in North America 40-50 million years ago, and spread to Asia
• wild camels were killed off in the Americas by humans during early arrival periods to North America (Native Americans)
• domesticated in central Asia approx. 2,500 BC
• were in use in Middle East by 900 BC
• introduced to Africa approx. 300 AD
• Camels were used extensively for trans-Saharan trade by 600-700s AD
  • and were essential for spread of Islam

Horse

• particularly useful in the Central Eurasian "Steppes"
  • high, flat, grassy lands
• wild horses have unique ability to break through snow and ice in order to find grasses to eat
  • due to the unique bend of horse front legs, horses can "kick"
• horse milk was a primary source for Vitamin C for steppe nomads

Llama

• domesticated in Western South America
• thought to have been an essential element in spread of agriculture in western South America for its dung which was used as fertilizer
• used extensively by the Inca for food, milk, fiber (fur) and transport