The Intimate Bond: How Animals Shaped Human History
New York Times bestselling author of The Attacking Ocean Brian Fagan shows how the powerful bond between Homo sapiens and other species has shaped our civilization and our character.

From the first wolf to find companionship in our prehistoric ancestors' camp, to the beasts who bore the weight of our early empires, to the whole spectrum of brutally exploited or absurdly pampered pets of our industrial age, animals—and our ever-changing relationship with them—have left an indelible mark on the history of our species and continue to shape its future.

Through an in-depth analysis of six truly transformative human-animal relationships, Fagan shows how our habits and our very way of life were considerably and irreversibly altered by our intimate bond with animals. Among other stories, Fagan explores how herding changed human behavior; how the humble donkey helped launch the process of globalization; and how the horse carried a hearty band of nomads across the world and toppled the emperor of China.

With characteristic care and penetrating insight, Fagan reveals the profound influence that animals have exercised on human history and how, in fact, they often drove it.

"1119677800"
The Intimate Bond: How Animals Shaped Human History
New York Times bestselling author of The Attacking Ocean Brian Fagan shows how the powerful bond between Homo sapiens and other species has shaped our civilization and our character.

From the first wolf to find companionship in our prehistoric ancestors' camp, to the beasts who bore the weight of our early empires, to the whole spectrum of brutally exploited or absurdly pampered pets of our industrial age, animals—and our ever-changing relationship with them—have left an indelible mark on the history of our species and continue to shape its future.

Through an in-depth analysis of six truly transformative human-animal relationships, Fagan shows how our habits and our very way of life were considerably and irreversibly altered by our intimate bond with animals. Among other stories, Fagan explores how herding changed human behavior; how the humble donkey helped launch the process of globalization; and how the horse carried a hearty band of nomads across the world and toppled the emperor of China.

With characteristic care and penetrating insight, Fagan reveals the profound influence that animals have exercised on human history and how, in fact, they often drove it.

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The Intimate Bond: How Animals Shaped Human History

The Intimate Bond: How Animals Shaped Human History

by Brian Fagan
The Intimate Bond: How Animals Shaped Human History

The Intimate Bond: How Animals Shaped Human History

by Brian Fagan

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Overview

New York Times bestselling author of The Attacking Ocean Brian Fagan shows how the powerful bond between Homo sapiens and other species has shaped our civilization and our character.

From the first wolf to find companionship in our prehistoric ancestors' camp, to the beasts who bore the weight of our early empires, to the whole spectrum of brutally exploited or absurdly pampered pets of our industrial age, animals—and our ever-changing relationship with them—have left an indelible mark on the history of our species and continue to shape its future.

Through an in-depth analysis of six truly transformative human-animal relationships, Fagan shows how our habits and our very way of life were considerably and irreversibly altered by our intimate bond with animals. Among other stories, Fagan explores how herding changed human behavior; how the humble donkey helped launch the process of globalization; and how the horse carried a hearty band of nomads across the world and toppled the emperor of China.

With characteristic care and penetrating insight, Fagan reveals the profound influence that animals have exercised on human history and how, in fact, they often drove it.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781620405734
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Publication date: 12/13/2016
Pages: 336
Product dimensions: 5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Brian Fagan is the emeritus professor of anthropology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is the author of Beyond the Blue Horizon, Elixir, the Los Angeles Times bestseller Cro-Magnon, the New York Times bestseller The Great Warming, and The Attacking Ocean, among others. He has decades of experience at sea and is the author of several titles for sailors, including the widely praised The Cruising Guide to Central and Southern California. He lives in Santa Barbara, California.

Table of Contents

Preface xi

Author's Note xix

Maps xx

Part 1 Hunters and the Hunted

1 Partnership 5

Part 2 Wolves and People

2 Curious Neighbors and Wolf-dogs 21

3 Cherished Companions 32

Part 3 The Farming Revolution

4 Down on the First Farms 43

5 Working Landscapes 57

6 Corralling the Aurochs 71

7 "Wild Bull on the Rampage" 85

Part 4 How the Donkey Started Globalization

8 "Average Joes" 103

9 The Pickup Trucks of History 115

Part 5 The Beasts That Toppled Emperors

10 Taming Equus 133

11 The Horse Masters' Legacies 148

12 Deposing Sons of Heaven 163

Part 6 Ships of the Desert

13 "Animals Designed by God" 181

Part 7 "Mild, Patient, Enduring"

14 Dominion over Beasts? 199

15 "The Hell for Dumb Animals" 212

16 Victims of Military Insanity 225

17 Cruelty to the Indispensable 239

18 To Kill, to Display, and to Love 253

Acknowledgments 269

Notes 273

Index 293

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