From hippos to cattle: The fragile relationship of early cypriots with their animals

Abstract

The relationship between humans and animals has always been complex. Two seminal topics researchers have examined in detail relate to human-induced extinctions and to the major change in human/animal interactions during the domestication of certain key species. This essay examines animals and the earliest humans on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus from two perspectives. The first relates to the late Epipaleolithic where humans likely were instrumental in the extinction of endemic species, primarily the pygmy hippopotamus. The second focuses on the early Neolithic, when animals were coming under domestication. During this time, people still relied heavily on wild species (deer) and may have used some domesticates in a feral sense. These complex relationships demonstrate that Cyprus, despite its relatively small land mass, was involved in the sophisticated utilization of animals since the first humans were on the island.