Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Shoat: A pig from weaning age to 120 pounds
Sire: Father
Sow: An adult female pig
Swine: Generic term for pigs
Topline: The spine or back or the pig, especially in silhouette
Underline: The line formed along the stomach of the pig
History of Pigs and People
In the 19th century, a young girl led her father, the amateur archaeologist Marcelino Sanz de
Sautuola, to a cave near the Spanish town of Santillana del Mar. There, on the cavern walls
and ceilings, was an astonishing series of paintings depicting the animals known to Cro-
Magnon humanity, including wild boars. Uranium-thorium dating of the pigments in these
cave drawings lead some scientists to estimate that the images were 25,000 to 30,000 years
old. Indeed, few animals have had longer and more extensive relationship with humans than
pigs, which were among the first animals to be domesticated. The earliest domesticated pigs,
which descended from Eurasian wild boars, probably occurred in Central Asia about 10,000
years ago. By 5000 B.C., the practice of keeping pigs was widespread, and Emperor Fo Hi
wrote the first topic on raising pigs in 3468 B.C., the same year he is thought to have also
penned the traditional topic of prophecy, the I-Ching. Zhou period tombs from ancient China
(1121-221 B.C.) often included pigs carved from precious stones, thought to ensure the de-
ceased prosperity in the afterlife.
In Europe, it is estimated that pigs were first domesticated around 5000 B.C., and the animal
played an important role in much of the history and mythology of the continent. In the
Aeneid, Virgil claimed that in the 6th century B.C. Aeneas saw a vision of a “sacred white
sow,” the female pig indicating the place on the Tiber River that should be the site of Rome.
Pork was the favorite meat of the Romans, who considered cows to be beasts of burden and
did not often eat veal or beef. In Petronius' Trimalchio's Banquet, roast boar with dates was
the centerpiece of the feast, and such dishes were a central part of the wealthy Roman diet. If,
as Napoleon said, “an army marches on its stomach,” the Roman Empire would be built upon
a foundation of bacon, as its legions were rationed with pork, grain, and wine; additionally,
the boar was sacred to Mars, the Roman god of war.
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