Posted by Stacey on December 8, 2003

Q: Hi, I was wondering if you could give me any information on the domestication of plants and animals in Europe. More specifically, France, Germany, and England. I would like to know when certain species were domesticated, and what theories of domestication seem appropriate.

Thanks very much,

Stacey

A: The Domestic Life unit points out some of the animals and their believed domestication history but often their source is not known or is very sketchy. I think the best way to find answers to your question would be to look up the domestic animals that you're interested in to see if you can find their original sources. The 3 countries you've mentioned will probably have the exact same domestic animals so what you find for one will be true for others. Keep in mind that finding out the domestic history of any animal or plant is extremely difficult since most were accomplished long before anyone thought or could convey the initial process.

Not entirely sure what you want with domescation theories (when, why, how) but here are just a few sites that may answer your questions:

Two hypotheses on squash — ilya.wustl.edu

Dogs — www.petwebsite.com

Horses — white_arabian.tripod.com

Cats — www.lam.mus.ca.us

variety of domestic animals — museum.agropolis.fr

Look on the web for more info sources under "domestication history". Good hunting.

John Wiessinger ( December 9, 2003)