Mate! Let’s all give a big shout out for the donkey. As May 8th is world Donkey Day and the start of the International Week of the Donkey, I thought I’d start this blog by celebrating this remarkable beast of burden.
People have relied on the donkey since it was domesticated around 6000 years ago. Native to Africa, the domesticated donkey was prevalent throughout the Middle East. We know this from a range of visual sources depicting donkeys hauling and carrying loads; for instance, this ancient Egyptian tomb painting (c. 1298-35 BCE) shows man driving a donkey with laden panniers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Maler_der_Grabkammer_des_Panehsi_001.jpg
There is also archaeological evidence which indicates that people also rode donkeys in the years following its domestication. A recent archaeological dig in Israel discovered a donkey skeleton from 2800-2600 BC. An examination of its teeth revealed a pattern of dental erosion consistent with the use of a soft, organic, non-metal bit. Although donkey images from that time depict a variety of halters and bridles for leading, there is no iconographic evidence for bit usage. As the bit is essential for rider safety and control of the animal, this exciting find rewrites the historical timeline of the ass as a ridden animal, confirming that bridling of the ass for riding pre-dates the domestication of the horse.
Once the donkey was established in the Middle East, it was only a matter of time before it was introduced to regions further afield. Two great ancient civilisations – Greek and Roman – were responsible for introducing the donkey into the Balkans and Europe. By the Middle Ages, the donkey was a valuable all-purpose beast carrying people and packs, hauling carts, turning millstones. Thomas of Cantimpré, a thirteenth-century Dominican preacher and theologian, who wrote an important encyclopedia on the natural world (Liber de natura rerum) declared the donkey to be an exceptional worker, stating that it had ‘excellent strength regarding toil’. Image: Peasants warming themselves in front of a fire (not pictured) whilst a laden donkey trudges through the snow. February, attributed to Paul Limbourg, or the “Rustic painter” c. 1412-16. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tr%C3%A8s_Riches_Heures_du_Duc_de_Berry#/media/File:Les_Tr%C3%A8s_Riches_Heures_du_duc_de_Berry_f%C3%A9vrier.jpg
Today, especially in the developing world, the donkey’s reputation is just as relevant and essential. There are over 40 million donkeys worldwide supporting people’s livelihoods doing the work of tractors, trucks, cars and other mechanised jobs – it really is the ubiquitous British white van or Australian ute.
Donkeys hauling hay on carts. Note how the driver sits on the rear on the donkey’s back – this is known as the donkey seat and provides the most comfortable and stable ride.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-37286811
So today more than any other, remember the donkey – it’s helped us get where we are today.
Wonderful blog, Kathryn – I love the Byzantine mosaic – and the find in Israel – fascinating stuff.
I was really interested in the ‘donkey bit’ archaeological find but it didn’t make the book because obviously it was out of the time frame. It’s part of growing evidence that donkeys were ridden before horses – just as Isidore claimed.
‘Donkeygate’ started trending on Twitter on Sunday 17th May 2020. I got excited . . . but it was a Dail Mail story about the Leader of the Opposition, Sir Keir Starmer, who bought his mum a field behind her home years ago so she could see the donkeys she had rescued from her window when she could no longer walk.
https://twitter.com/mrjamesob/status/1261937075697455104
Donkeygate – love the title and the story; another emotional response to donkeys.