A wide range of animal and plant species have been domesticated by people in vastly different social and environmental settings. Domestication is ordinarily considered a Holocene phenomenon, largely restricted to the last c. 11,700 years. However, the human management of animal and plant species, as well as anthropic alteration of habitats, has a much greater time depth. Domestication is usually associated with food production, especially different forms of agriculture. Domesticates facilitated the expansion and intensification of cultivation and animal husbandry through time, thereby enabling the rapid growth of many human societies. Not all human societies domesticated species, and not all species were domesticated for food, plausibly including the earliest animal and plant domesticates.
In this course, we will address a series of questions including:
• How do we define domestication?
• What are the phenotypic and genotypic attributes of domestication and how do these vary between species/groups of species?
• How do we use archaeobotanical, zooarchaeological and ancient DNA evidence to determine when a species was domesticated in the past?
• How did people domesticate animals and plants in the past, where did this occur, and how long did the process take?
• Can we identify domestication syndromes and domestication pathways for groups of plants and animals?
• What were the historical implications of domestication for the societies involved?
• How have domesticatory processes continued to the present-day?
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- discuss the multi-disciplinary literature on plant and animal domestication, with a focus on how phenotypes and genotypes changed during the domestication process;
- critically assess the consilience of phenotypic and genotypic attributes associated with domestication;
- evaluate the respective contributions of species biology, environmental setting and human practices to the domestication process;
- understand the different ways in which animal and plant species were domesticated, including regions of origin, time periods involved and associated social contexts; and
- practically identify phenotypic traits to differentiate wild and domestic species in the archaeological record.
Indicative Assessment
- Research Poster and (5-10 minute) Presentation (30) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- Research Essay (3500 words) (40) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- Practical/Laboratory Exercises (30) [LO 1,5]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
130 hours of total student learning time made up from:
a) 42 hours of contact over 12 weeks: 24 hours of lectures and 18 hours of practicals/tutorials; and
b) 88 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.
Inherent Requirements
Not applicable
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
Not applicable.
Preliminary Reading
Global Syntheses
Barker, G. 2006. The Agricultural Revolution in History. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Murphy, D. 2007. People, Plants and Genes. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Regional Syntheses
Denham, T.P. 2018. Tracing Early Agriculture in the Highlands of New Guinea: Plot, Mound and Ditch. Oxford: Routledge.
Piperno, D.R. and D.M. Pearsall 1998. The Origins of Agriculture in the Lowland Neotropics. San Diego: Academic Press.
Smith, B.D. 1992. Rivers of Change: Essays on Early Agriculture in the Eastern North America. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Books.
Zohary, D., M. Hopf and E. Weiss 2012. Domestication of Plants in the Old World: The Origin and Spread of Domesticated Plants in Southwest Asia, Europe and the Mediterranean Basin. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Compendia
Denham, T.P., J. Iriarte and L. Vrydaghs (eds.) 2007. Rethinking Agriculture: Archaeological and Ethnoarchaeological Perspectives. Walnut Creek: Left Coast Press.
Harris, D.R. (ed.) 1996. The Origins and Spread of Agriculture and Pastoralism in Eurasia. London: University College London Press.
Harris, D.R. and G.C. Hillman (eds.) 1989. Foraging and Farming: The Evolution of Plant Exploitation. London: Unwin Hyman.
Stevens, C.J., S. Nixon, M.A. Murray and D.Q. Fuller (eds.) 2016. Archaeology of African Plant Use. New York: Routledge.
Zeder, M., D. Bradley, E. Emschwiller and B.D. Smith (eds.) 2006. Documenting Domestication. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2024 | $4080 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2024 | $6000 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
First Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3593 | 17 Feb 2025 | 24 Feb 2025 | 31 Mar 2025 | 23 May 2025 | In Person | N/A |
