Cattle, canines, and culture: reconstructing human-animal relationships in the Bronze Age Aegean

Human-animal study (HAS) is a vast area of research that offers many avenues for exploration. In modern times, dogs and cattle are ubiquitous, whether as pets, working animals in the fields, or sources of food. Each interaction between humans and animals strengthens their relationship. This was also...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Murphy, Ciara
Format: Thesis (University of Nottingham only)
Language:English
English
Published: 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/77562/
_version_ 1848801010203492352
author Murphy, Ciara
author_facet Murphy, Ciara
author_sort Murphy, Ciara
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description Human-animal study (HAS) is a vast area of research that offers many avenues for exploration. In modern times, dogs and cattle are ubiquitous, whether as pets, working animals in the fields, or sources of food. Each interaction between humans and animals strengthens their relationship. This was also true in the Bronze Age Aegean (BAA), as the wealth of evidence shows that there were numerous types of interactions based on various factors. Defined by the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association, 2023), the human-animal bond is a mutually beneficial relationship influenced by behaviours essential to the health and well-being of both parties. The relationship is influenced by both the animal and the human through the animal’s previous experience, the animal’s genetics, the human’s familiarity with the animal, and the human’s knowledge and skills (Hosey, 2008, 105; Raul et al., 2020, 1). An ethological perspective on HAR focuses on the interaction’s frequency, quality, and context to influence the relationship's overall quality (Breuer et al., 2011, 4-5). The relationships are thus based on a history of regular interactions. This thesis will examine evidence from the BAA to reconstruct human-animal relationships (HAR) with dogs and cattle. As this thesis will show, scholars are understandably hesitant to apply modern research on HAR, at the risk of imposing one’s own experiences onto ancient evidence. Through this thesis, I aim to provide support in favour of relying on modern research where applicable, by exploring the similarities between modern and ancient HAR.
first_indexed 2025-11-14T21:00:39Z
format Thesis (University of Nottingham only)
id nottingham-77562
institution University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus
institution_category Local University
language English
English
last_indexed 2025-11-14T21:00:39Z
publishDate 2024
recordtype eprints
repository_type Digital Repository
spelling nottingham-775622025-02-28T15:20:14Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/77562/ Cattle, canines, and culture: reconstructing human-animal relationships in the Bronze Age Aegean Murphy, Ciara Human-animal study (HAS) is a vast area of research that offers many avenues for exploration. In modern times, dogs and cattle are ubiquitous, whether as pets, working animals in the fields, or sources of food. Each interaction between humans and animals strengthens their relationship. This was also true in the Bronze Age Aegean (BAA), as the wealth of evidence shows that there were numerous types of interactions based on various factors. Defined by the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association, 2023), the human-animal bond is a mutually beneficial relationship influenced by behaviours essential to the health and well-being of both parties. The relationship is influenced by both the animal and the human through the animal’s previous experience, the animal’s genetics, the human’s familiarity with the animal, and the human’s knowledge and skills (Hosey, 2008, 105; Raul et al., 2020, 1). An ethological perspective on HAR focuses on the interaction’s frequency, quality, and context to influence the relationship's overall quality (Breuer et al., 2011, 4-5). The relationships are thus based on a history of regular interactions. This thesis will examine evidence from the BAA to reconstruct human-animal relationships (HAR) with dogs and cattle. As this thesis will show, scholars are understandably hesitant to apply modern research on HAR, at the risk of imposing one’s own experiences onto ancient evidence. Through this thesis, I aim to provide support in favour of relying on modern research where applicable, by exploring the similarities between modern and ancient HAR. 2024-07-20 Thesis (University of Nottingham only) NonPeerReviewed application/pdf en cc_by https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/77562/1/corrections.pdf application/pdf en cc_by https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/77562/2/Final%20thesis%20to%20submit.pdf Murphy, Ciara (2024) Cattle, canines, and culture: reconstructing human-animal relationships in the Bronze Age Aegean. MRes thesis, University of Nottingham. Human-animal studies Human-animal relations Human-animal relationships Bronze Age Aegean Mycenaean Minoan
spellingShingle Human-animal studies
Human-animal relations
Human-animal relationships
Bronze Age Aegean
Mycenaean
Minoan
Murphy, Ciara
Cattle, canines, and culture: reconstructing human-animal relationships in the Bronze Age Aegean
title Cattle, canines, and culture: reconstructing human-animal relationships in the Bronze Age Aegean
title_full Cattle, canines, and culture: reconstructing human-animal relationships in the Bronze Age Aegean
title_fullStr Cattle, canines, and culture: reconstructing human-animal relationships in the Bronze Age Aegean
title_full_unstemmed Cattle, canines, and culture: reconstructing human-animal relationships in the Bronze Age Aegean
title_short Cattle, canines, and culture: reconstructing human-animal relationships in the Bronze Age Aegean
title_sort cattle, canines, and culture: reconstructing human-animal relationships in the bronze age aegean
topic Human-animal studies
Human-animal relations
Human-animal relationships
Bronze Age Aegean
Mycenaean
Minoan
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/77562/