Honoring Cowtown: Cattle Husbandry in Historical Zooarchaeology

In honor of Fort Worth’s storied history and continued involvement in the American livestock industry, the papers presented in this session focus on the zooarchaeological study of cattle and cattle husbandry across time and space. Since their domestication over 8,000 years ago, cattle have been important sources of food, labor, leather, and social capital, amongst other things. The ways in which cattle are raised are heavily dependent on the cultural context in which they are raised and the desired product(s) from raising the cattle. Thus, the study of cattle and cattle husbandry from various times and locations in the past can illuminate our understanding of the larger world in which these bovines lived. From market systems to butchery, ranching to dairy production, join us as we look at past cultures through the remains of cattle and honor Fort Worth, the original American Cowtown.