Com o diabo no corpo: os terríveis papagaios do Brasil colônia

Desde a Antiguidade, papagaios, periquitos e afins (Psittacidae) fascinaram os europeus por seu vivo colorido e uma notável capacidade de interação com seres humanos. A descoberta do Novo Mundo nada faria além de acrescentar novos elementos ao tráfico de animais exóticos há muito estabelecido pelos europeus com a África e o Oriente. Sem possuir grandes mamíferos, a América tropical participaria desse comércio com o que tinha de mais atrativo, essencialmente felinos, primatas e aves - em particular os papagaios, os quais eram embarcados em bom número. Contudo, a julgar pelos documentos do Brasil colônia, esses voláteis podiam inspirar muito pouca simpatia, pois nenhum outro animal - exceto as formigas - foi tantas vezes mencionado como praga para a agricultura. Além disso, alguns psitácidas mostravam-se tão loquazes que inspiravam a séria desconfiança de serem animais demoníacos ou possessos, pois só três classes de entidades - anjos, homens e demônios - possuíam o dom da palavra. Nos dias de hoje, vários representantes dos Psittacidae ainda constituem uma ameaça para a agricultura, enquanto os indivíduos muito faladores continuam despertando a suspeita de estarem possuídos pelo demônio. Transcendendo a mera curiosidade, essa crença exemplifica o quão intrincadas podem ser as relações do homem com o chamado “mundo natural”, revelando um universo mais amplo e multifacetado do que se poderia supor a princípio. Nesse sentido, a existência de aves capazes de falar torna essa relação ainda mais complexa e evidencia que as dificuldades de estabelecer o limite entre o animal e o humano se estendem além dos primatas e envolvem as mais inusitadas espécies zoológicas.Since ancient times, parrots and their allies (Psittacidae) have fascinated Europeans by their striking colors and notable ability to interact with human beings. The discovery of the New World added new species to the international exotic animal trade, which for many centuries had brought beasts to Europe from Africa and the Orient. Lacking large mammals, tropical America participated in this trade with its most appealing species, essentially felines, primates and birds - especially parrots - which were shipped in large numbers. It should be noted, however, that at times these birds were not well liked. In fact, according to documents from colonial Brazil, only the ants rank higher than parrots as the animals most often mentioned as agricultural pests. On the other hand, some of these birds were so chatty that people suspected them to be demonic or possessed animals, since only three classes of beings - angels, men and demons - have the ability to speak. Nowadays, several Psittacidae still constitute a threat to agriculture, and the suspicion that extremely talkative birds were demon possessed has also survived. More than a joke or a mere curiosity, this belief exemplifies how intricate man’s relationships with the “natural world” may be. In this sense, the existence of birds that are able to speak adds a further twist to these relationships, demonstrating that the problem of establishing a boundary between the animal and the human does not only involve primates, but also includes some unusual zoological species

Size Matters – Donkeys and Horses in the Prehistory of the Southernmost Levant

The present article is an attempt to clarify the taxonomy and domestic status of equids in the southernmost Levant during the Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age within the wider context of the Middle East and Egypt during the late fifth, fourth and third millennia B. C. Comparisons of the size of equid bones from sites in this area with that of wild asses and domestic donkeys from Predynastic Egypt and the Uruk period in Mesopotamia indicate the presence of domestic donkeys in the southernmost Levant in both periods. The donkeys of the Early Bronze Age were much smaller than those of the Late Chalcolithic.Cet article tente de clarifier la taxonomie et le statut domestique des équidés dans l’extrême sud du Levant durant le Chalcolithique final et l’âge du Bronze ancien dans un contexte large qui est celui du Moyen-Orient et de l’Égypte durant la fi n du cinquième, le quatrième et le troisième millénaires av. J.-C. Des comparaisons entre la taille des os d’équidés des sites de cette région et celle de l’âne sauvage et domestique de la période pré-dynastique de l’Égypte et de la période Uruk en Mésopotamie confirment la présence de l’âne domestique à l’extrême sud du Levant dans les deux périodes. L’âne domestique de l’âge du Bronze ancien est beaucoup plus petit que celui du Chalcolithique.Grigson Caroline. Size Matters – Donkeys and Horses in the Prehistory of the Southernmost Levant. In: Paléorient, 2012, vol. 38, n°1-2. pp. 185-201

Sasson A. 2010. Animal Husbandry in Ancient Israel. A zooarchaeological perspective on livestock exploitation, herd management and economic strategies.

Grigson Caroline. Sasson A. 2010. Animal Husbandry in Ancient Israel. A zooarchaeological perspective on livestock exploitation, herd management and economic strategies.. In: Paléorient, 2011, vol. 37, n°1. Néolithisations : nouvelles données, nouvelles interprétations. À propos du modèle théorique de Jacques Cauvin. pp. 211-214

L’histoire du projet de datation des os de dromadaire

Les résultats obtenus par AMS au laboratoire de datation radiocarbone d’Oxford à partir du projet “datation des os de chameau” sont résumés et discutés ci-dessousThe results obtained by the AMS laboratory in Oxford for the ‘Camel Bone Dating Project’ are summarized and discussed.</p