Understanding the Interplay between Domesticate Choice and the Environment: The Case of the Humble Australian Sheep

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Questioning the Fundamentals of Plant and Animal Domestication" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Domestication could be described as a drawn out, nuanced dance between humans and animals – a dance that shapes not just the animal actors – but the physical, cultural and economic environment of all the players. Recent examples of this effect abound in areas colonized by Europeans, particularly those with drastically different physical environments from the motherland. This paper explores some thoughts on the intricate relationship between people and sheep that shaped Australia’s character. In particular, we examine the way in which the behavioral ecology of sheep have altered the physical landscape of Australia. We highlight the need to explore our oft taken for granted relationship with this key animal as an integral step toward understanding the transformative relationship between people, non-native animal domesticates and the environment in early Colonial areas.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Questioning the Fundamentals of Plant and Animal Domestication   •
• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 24912