An “epic and joyous” (Adam Rutherford) history of our species, using recent scientific discoveries to explore humanity’s domestication of the plants and animals that have allowed human civilization to thrive. “An excellent point of entry for anyone who wants to understand the new deep human history and what it portends.”
—The Guardian
Dogs
became our companions.
Wheat
fed booming populations.
Cattle
gave us meat and milk.
Corn
fueled the growth of empires.
Potatoes
brought feast and famine.
Chickens
inspired new branches of science.
Rice
promised a golden future.
Horses
gave us strength and speed.
Apples
provided harvestable sweetness.
Humans
tamed them all. For hundreds of thousands of years, our ancestors were just one wild species among many, their survival dependent on the whims of nature. Then, gradually, we began to tame the plants and animals all around us—and ourselves. Combining genetics, archaeology, evolutionary biology, and anthropology, Tamed tells the story of the greatest revolution in human history, revealing the fascinating origins of crucial domesticated species and how they, in turn, transformed us. Dogs, our first natural ally, aided Ice Age–era hunters and gatherers. Domesticated horses led to new ideas about hunting and combat in the Eurasian Steppe. The reliability of wheat and corn allowed humans to settle down and build civilizations of unprecedented complexity. As she uncovers the astounding global implications of domestication, Alice Roberts urges us to look again at our relationship with the natural world—and our incredible influence upon it.