Book Report #51: Animals That Changed Humanity Forever.
Begin: 1/4/2025
Finish: 2/1/2025
Title: Animals That Changed Humanity Forever.
Why I choose to read this book:
To learn how human domesticated animals and how humanity was changed from interacting with them. Understanding of our domesticated pet helps me appreciate them and their contribution to our lives.
What I learned from this book:
Humans have lived with animals for a long time although the definition of domestication, it has identified dozens of species that we have outright domesticated or whom we have forge connection for over millennia. Once we domesticated them, they changed our lives too. Humanity would look very different today and possibility not have thrived to the extend that we have. They have helped us hunt, protect our resources, bear burdens, provide food, supply material for clothing and tools.
Man’s Best (and Oldest) Friend:
The faithful dog was our first friend from the animal kingdom. The relationship began back in our days as nomadic hunter gatherers, well before we started farming or building any kind of civilization, handy for hunting, protection, pest control and companionship. Some archaeological evidence that dogs splitting off from wolves as early as 40,000 years ago. DNA analyses of ancient dogs DNA with the results indication that ice age hunters in Siberia may have been domestication dogs at least 23,000 years ago. Unambiguously domesticated dogs are common in the archeological records beginning around 14,000 years ago. Domestication happened gradually, perhaps even accidentally. Wolves probably acclimated to human while scavenging the remains of their kill and in doing so, could have kicked off the domestication process themselves. Wolves on their way to becoming dogs were a great alarm system. Offspring of them were chosen for been more useful skills, hunting. The tendency of both human and wolves to use facial cues in social communication may have been one of the factors to help cement the bond between our two species. Dogs have actually developed new facial musculature in the domestication process – a muscle for furrowing the brow, the resulting ” Puppy Dog Eyes” may have helped to strengthen the care taking response. Pups seems to know that we respond to their expression too. Dogs make extensive use of eye contact in order to communicate with us. Domesticated dogs are skilled at using “Gaze Alteration” to direct their human companions’ attention towards problems they are unable to solve. The vast majority of dogs owners consider their dogs to be member of the family.
When The Cat Came Home:
It is possible that cats have never been domesticated. They certainly weren’t when we first met them, nor for a long time thereafter. First attempt to domesticate cats could have occurred 9.000 years or more in near East. A second wave of cat domestication several thousands years later in Egypt. However, cats lived in proximity to humans for centuries without being domesticated. They enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship with us. Wild cats could have been drawn to humans because of our agricultural efforts generated both resources and waste. Food and trash attract vermin and vermin attracts cats. Although cats have been alongside humans for most of the time we’ve lived in complex society. The exact chronology of their domestication is still unclear. Some examples of the ways in which ancient peoples viewed their feline companions:
1) Spiritual Cats in Ancient Egypt: Many feline lived a fairly comfortable life in ancient Egypt. Ancient Egyptians also believed that cats brought good luck, this honoring them with fancy accessories and a rich diet.
2) Feline in Roman Times: Helped keep rodents out of their homes, Cats were seen as a symbol of independence and freedom. They had the run of the place.
3) Literature of Cats in Ancient India: Cats figure in some of the most important epics of the Hindu faith, including The Ramayana and The Mahabrata.
4)Evidence of Cats in Ancient China: Across Asia, cats have been historically regarded as symbols of good luck and as gifted with supernatural powers, such as seeing ghost and warding off evil. Earliest evidence of cat living alongside humans in China dates to 5,300 years ago.
The First Livestock:
As human settled down, hunted less, and farmed more, we gradually enticed many of the beasts collectively known as cattle into our control. All cattle could be descended from a small herd of oxen approximately 10,000 years ago. As a form of livestock, cattle offered a level of food security we couldn’t have hoped to match as hunters. The first domesticated livestock is the durable goat and it dates back to 8,200 BCE. Human likely were domesticating goats a few thousands years earlier, when we were transitioning from hunter-gatherer to farmer-herder. Wild goats evolved from the Bezoar Ibex. Goats provided a ready source of food (milk and meat) an other useful materials including, hair, hide, bone and sinew for everything from clothes to tools. Even their droppings were handy – their dung was fuel for burning.
There and Back Again: A Horse Tale:
We know from cave art dating back 30,000 years that the earliest relationship between human and horse, where wild horses were hunted for food. Early domestication efforts about 5,500 years ago credited to people living in the Western Eurasian Steppe, who were thought to use horse as a ready supply of meat and milk. Study of ancient human skeletons showed evidence that at least some people were ridding the beast as early as 4,500 years ago. The horse’s power and stamina provided humanity with advantages for transportation, trade, communications and warfare. For better or worse, their strength and speed revolutionized human conflict. Over the centuries, inventions like the saddle, the stirrup, and equestrian armor transformed both the steeds and their riders into even more devasting combatants. The mobility and durability of horses also made them important to colonization efforts of various civilizations. Horse played a pivotal part in the colonization of the Americas. Th first modern horse in America came from the Iberian Peninsula.
How will this book Contribute to my success upon release:
History of domestication of animals has help change humanities. How human worked with animals for food, protection, hunting, clothing, transportation and warfare. This information has improved my analytical and critical thinking skills. This information will be passed to communities which I hope to volunteer my teaching, tutoring and mentoring services.
