Cattle

Humans have an ancient connection with cattle, and cattle husbandry has been one of the most important economic activities across the world for many thousands of years, from prehistory until modern times. The wild form, the aurochs (Bos primigenius) was regularly hunted in prehistoric societies, before being domesticated in two separate events: one in the Near East (which produced Bos taurus), and another in India (which produced Bos indicus). Domestic populations have been exploited for a variety of different products in addition to meat, including the “secondary products” milk and labor. Several scientific techniques have been used to investigate the nature and evolution of human–cattle interactions. Zooarchaeological methodologies enable us to determine how important cattle were in the diet of different populations, what kind of products cattle were being exploited for, how and where cattle populations were domesticated and improved, and how cattle meat was prepared and distributed. Scientific innovations have also led to the adoption of new techniques that can be used in combination with zooarchaeology; stable isotopes have enabled us to investigate diet and geographical origin, and studies of ancient DNA have allowed us to trace domestication events.