{"id":243585,"date":"2025-05-15T20:08:49","date_gmt":"2025-05-15T20:08:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/anthropology\/rethinking-the-origins-of-domestication\/"},"modified":"2025-05-15T20:08:49","modified_gmt":"2025-05-15T20:08:49","slug":"rethinking-the-origins-of-domestication","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=243585","title":{"rendered":"Rethinking the Origins of Domestication"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\n<p>The domestication of plants and animals is often framed as a cornerstone of civilization. It\u2019s the moment, we\u2019re told, when our ancestors turned from the unpredictability of foraging to the structured stability of farming. Domestication allowed for permanent settlements, surplus food, the rise of states\u2014and ultimately, the birth of what we call \u201chistory.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But what if this story gets it backwards?<\/p>\n<div class=\"captioned-image-container\">\n<figure><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7000f421-2b44-41b0-8bc7-e3a27e806ec1_2048x1536.jpeg\" data-component-name=\"Image2ToDOM\" rel=\"\" class=\"image-link image2 is-viewable-img\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image2-inset\"><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7000f421-2b44-41b0-8bc7-e3a27e806ec1_2048x1536.jpeg 424w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7000f421-2b44-41b0-8bc7-e3a27e806ec1_2048x1536.jpeg 848w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7000f421-2b44-41b0-8bc7-e3a27e806ec1_2048x1536.jpeg 1272w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7000f421-2b44-41b0-8bc7-e3a27e806ec1_2048x1536.jpeg 1456w\" sizes=\"100vw\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7000f421-2b44-41b0-8bc7-e3a27e806ec1_2048x1536.jpeg\" width=\"1456\" height=\"1092\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/7000f421-2b44-41b0-8bc7-e3a27e806ec1_2048x1536.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1092,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:483421,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.anthropology.net\/i\/163657372?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7000f421-2b44-41b0-8bc7-e3a27e806ec1_2048x1536.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null}\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7000f421-2b44-41b0-8bc7-e3a27e806ec1_2048x1536.jpeg 424w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7000f421-2b44-41b0-8bc7-e3a27e806ec1_2048x1536.jpeg 848w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7000f421-2b44-41b0-8bc7-e3a27e806ec1_2048x1536.jpeg 1272w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7000f421-2b44-41b0-8bc7-e3a27e806ec1_2048x1536.jpeg 1456w\" sizes=\"100vw\" fetchpriority=\"high\" class=\"sizing-normal\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<p><\/a><figcaption class=\"image-caption\">Excavations at the Vardhanze archaeological site in Uzbekistan, under the directorship of Silvia Pozzi and the Italian\/Uzbek Expeditions. Among other research questions, Dr. Spengler and his team are trying to better understand how a massive capital city was fed and supplied on the edge of the Kyzyl Kum Desert in early historical periods. Credit: Robert N. Spengler III<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>A growing number of archaeologists and evolutionary biologists now argue that domestication wasn\u2019t simply something humans did <\/span><em>to<\/em><span> other species. Rather, it was something that <\/span><em>happened between<\/em><span> us\u2014over generations, unconsciously, through evolutionary feedback loops in which both humans and other species co-evolved.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Three recent papers\u2014two in <\/span><em><span>Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B<\/span><\/em><span> <\/span><span>and one in <\/span><em>PNAS<\/em><span>\u2014bring this radical reinterpretation into sharper focus. Taken together, they shift domestication from a narrative of human conquest to one of ecological entanglement.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In a provocative paper published in <\/span><em>PNAS<\/em><span>, evolutionary biologist Kathryn A. Lord and her colleagues propose a redefinition of domestication as an evolutionary process, rather than an intentional act of human control. According to their framework, species adapt to <\/span><em>anthropogenic niches<\/em><span>\u2014the ecological spaces humans unintentionally or intentionally create.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cDomestication is not just about humans taming nature,\u201d Lord explains. \u201cIt&#8217;s about how species evolve in response to the environments we create.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>This means animals like free-ranging dogs or urban pigeons\u2014long marginalized in discussions of domestication\u2014may be <\/span><em>more representative<\/em><span> of the domestication process than previously thought.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"captioned-image-container\">\n<figure><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe1b74bb4-0a65-4443-81e4-310dfb9909c6_1520x1524.jpeg\" data-component-name=\"Image2ToDOM\" rel=\"\" class=\"image-link image2 is-viewable-img\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image2-inset\"><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe1b74bb4-0a65-4443-81e4-310dfb9909c6_1520x1524.jpeg 424w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe1b74bb4-0a65-4443-81e4-310dfb9909c6_1520x1524.jpeg 848w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe1b74bb4-0a65-4443-81e4-310dfb9909c6_1520x1524.jpeg 1272w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe1b74bb4-0a65-4443-81e4-310dfb9909c6_1520x1524.jpeg 1456w\" sizes=\"100vw\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe1b74bb4-0a65-4443-81e4-310dfb9909c6_1520x1524.jpeg\" width=\"1456\" height=\"1460\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/e1b74bb4-0a65-4443-81e4-310dfb9909c6_1520x1524.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1460,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:347539,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.anthropology.net\/i\/163657372?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe1b74bb4-0a65-4443-81e4-310dfb9909c6_1520x1524.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null}\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe1b74bb4-0a65-4443-81e4-310dfb9909c6_1520x1524.jpeg 424w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe1b74bb4-0a65-4443-81e4-310dfb9909c6_1520x1524.jpeg 848w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe1b74bb4-0a65-4443-81e4-310dfb9909c6_1520x1524.jpeg 1272w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe1b74bb4-0a65-4443-81e4-310dfb9909c6_1520x1524.jpeg 1456w\" sizes=\"auto, 100vw\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"sizing-normal\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<p><\/a><figcaption class=\"image-caption\"><span>The domestication spectrum. Under the new definition, populations can be categorized along a spectrum of domestication types that are defined by their relationship with the anthropogenic niche. Credit: <\/span><em>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences<\/em><span> (2025). DOI: 10.1073\/pnas.2413207122<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>Lord\u2019s team introduces a spectrum of domestication, from species that adapt peripherally to human environments to those that become completely dependent on us. This model accounts for both the deliberate breeding of livestock and the evolutionary drift of animals that simply <\/span><em>learned to live with us<\/em><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In a second paper, archaeobotanist Robert N. Spengler and collaborators press further. Their argument, published in <\/span><em>Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B<\/em><span>, contends that most domestication was <\/span><em>unintentional<\/em><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cDomestication is the foundation of modern civilization,\u201d says Spengler. \u201cUnderstanding how it really happened\u2014across species, regions, and millennia\u2014reshapes our sense of what it means to be human today.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Rather than viewing domestication as a singular invention, they propose that it unfolded gradually across generations as humans and species entered into increasingly tight co-dependencies.<\/p>\n<p>The article challenges scholars to reconsider how archaeological evidence\u2014such as grain size, seed dispersal traits, or animal morphology\u2014is interpreted. Instead of looking for a single domestication \u201cevent,\u201d we might better understand the process as a series of micro-adaptations.<\/p>\n<p><span>A third study, also in <\/span><em>Philosophical Transactions B<\/em><span>, looks at one of the most iconic examples of domestication\u2014grain agriculture. Rita Dal Martello and colleagues conducted a sweeping analysis of archaeological cereal grain data from across Eurasia.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"captioned-image-container\">\n<figure><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4408da1-a1e9-4530-9bce-688349306db3_1280x720.jpeg\" data-component-name=\"Image2ToDOM\" rel=\"\" class=\"image-link image2 is-viewable-img\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image2-inset\"><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4408da1-a1e9-4530-9bce-688349306db3_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4408da1-a1e9-4530-9bce-688349306db3_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4408da1-a1e9-4530-9bce-688349306db3_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4408da1-a1e9-4530-9bce-688349306db3_1280x720.jpeg 1456w\" sizes=\"100vw\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4408da1-a1e9-4530-9bce-688349306db3_1280x720.jpeg\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/c4408da1-a1e9-4530-9bce-688349306db3_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:720,&quot;width&quot;:1280,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:250661,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.anthropology.net\/i\/163657372?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4408da1-a1e9-4530-9bce-688349306db3_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null}\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4408da1-a1e9-4530-9bce-688349306db3_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4408da1-a1e9-4530-9bce-688349306db3_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4408da1-a1e9-4530-9bce-688349306db3_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4408da1-a1e9-4530-9bce-688349306db3_1280x720.jpeg 1456w\" sizes=\"auto, 100vw\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"sizing-normal\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<p><\/a><figcaption class=\"image-caption\">Three views of a prehistoric barley grain from a recently excavated archaeological site in Mongolia; members of the Spengler lab are searching for the routes of spread of farming across Mongolia. Credit: Robert N. Spengler III<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>They found something remarkable: the evolutionary traits we associate with domesticated cereals\u2014such as increased grain size\u2014emerged independently in multiple regions.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cOur findings highlight how similar evolutionary patterns emerged independently across Eurasia,\u201d Dal Martello notes. \u201cThis suggests that domestication was not a singular event but a series of parallel processes influenced by various environmental and cultural factors.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>In other words, domestication didn&#8217;t spread like a spark catching fire. It emerged repeatedly in different places under similar conditions\u2014wherever humans and plants became entangled in each other&#8217;s life cycles.<\/p>\n<p>These new frameworks compel archaeologists and anthropologists to rethink domestication not as the product of ancient genius, but as an evolutionary dialogue\u2014an emergent outcome of long-term interaction.<\/p>\n<p>As our species continues to alter the biosphere at an unprecedented scale\u2014urbanizing ecosystems, redirecting evolution via CRISPR, and domesticating microbiomes\u2014the stakes of understanding these deep-time relationships grow ever higher.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThe archaeological record offers essential insights into how long-term human-plant-animal relationships unfold,\u201d says Spengler. \u201cThese lessons could inform more sustainable practices today and tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>We didn\u2019t just domesticate the dog or the wheat. In a sense, they domesticated <\/span><em>us<\/em><span> too.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p><span>Zeder, M. A. (2012). The domestication of animals, <\/span><em>Philosophical Transactions B<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><span>Larson, G. et al. (2014). Current perspectives and the future of domestication studies, <\/span><em>PNAS<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><span>Arbuckle, B., &amp; Makarewicz, C. (2009). The origins and spread of animal domestication, <\/span><em>Journal of Anthropological Archaeology<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The domestication of plants and animals is often framed as a cornerstone of civilization. It\u2019s the moment, we\u2019re told, when our ancestors turned from the unpredictability of foraging to the structured stability of farming. Domestication allowed for permanent settlements, surplus food, the rise of states\u2014and ultimately, the birth of what we call \u201chistory.\u201d But what [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":243586,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11767],"tags":[13629,11616,11292],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-243585","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anthropology","tag-domestication","tag-origins","tag-rethinking"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Rethinking the Origins of Domestication - Som2ny Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=243585\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rethinking the Origins of Domestication - Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The domestication of plants and animals is often framed as a cornerstone of civilization. It\u2019s the moment, we\u2019re told, when our ancestors turned from the unpredictability of foraging to the structured stability of farming. 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