Dogs: Archaeology beyond Domestication

This volume offers a rich archaeological portrait of the human-canine connection. Contributors investigate the ways people have viewed and valued dogs in different cultures around the world and across the ages. Case studies from North and South America, the Arctic, Australia, and Eurasia present evidence for dogs in roles including pets, guards, hunters, and herders. In these chapters, faunal analysis from the Ancient Near East suggests that dogs contributed to public health by scavenging garbage, and remains from a Roman temple indicate that dogs were offered as sacrifices in purification rites. Essays also chronicle the complex partnership between Aboriginal peoples and the dingo and describe how the hunting abilities of dogs made them valuable assets for Indigenous groups in the Amazon rainforest. The volume draws on multidisciplinary methods that include zooarchaeological analysis; scientific techniques such as dental microwear, isotopic, and DNA analyses; and the integration of history, ethnography, multispecies scholarship, and traditional cultural knowledge to provide an in-depth account of dogs' lives. Showing that dogs have been a critical ally for humankind through cooperation and companionship over thousands of years, this volume broadens discussions about how relationships between people and animals have shaped our world. Contributors: Brandi Bethke - Kate Britton - Amanda Burtt - Larisa R.G. DeSantis - Melanie Fillios - Emily Lena Jones - Loukas Koungoulos - Robert Losey - Edouard Masson-Maclean - Ellen McManus-Fry - Victoria Monagle - Victoria Moses - Angela R. Perri - Nerissa Russell - Peter W. Stahl

Author: Brandi Bethke
Publisher: University Press of Florida
Published: 03/24/2020
Pages: 284
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.27lbs
Size: 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.69d
ISBN: 9780813066363


Review Citation(s):
Choice 10/01/2020

About the Author
Bethke, Brandi: - Brandi Bethke is laboratory director and research faculty at the Oklahoma Archeological Survey at the University of Oklahoma.Burtt, Amanda: - Amanda Burtt is associate curator with the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology at Indiana University, Bloomington.