ABSTRACT

M. A. Zeder notes that one of the more common definitions of domestication is “from the perspective of the domesticator, emphasizing the role of humans in separating a target domesticate from free-living populations and assuming mastery over all aspects of its life cycle.” The uncertainty over the principal dates for domestication appears also to reflect a lack of consensus on the actual process or course of domestication itself; indeed, a lot of the disagreement is actually focused on the period of time required for domestication. The refutation of the basic taming theory in the domestication of dogs restores the view of domestication as primarily the making of “home” rather than the rendering of animal objects. The relationship between domestication, the making of territories, and the negotiation of shared spaces is important. Early models of pastoralism were key developments in the establishment of agricultural communities and early human societies.