Pig Tales (by Barry Estabrook) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/039324024X?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00] is an excellent and very fun read. Its great for understanding the pork CAFO industry, players, and dangers. If you've read Plague Time, you will be better able to explain the dangers of pork CAFOs (from evolutionary biology) than the author.
The high intelligence of pigs is discussed in detail.
Fascinating is the description of the work of anthropologist Richard Redding who digs through the bones of ancient garbage pits to piece together the story of transition from hunter/gatherer to fixed community life - at a Turkish site called Hallan Cemi (going back about 10,000 years). The conventional story suggests that hunter gatherers first transitioned to Ag (grains, etc), then animal husbandry followed. Redding has found (from the garbage bones at HC) that hunter/gatherers went first to pig domestication - iow, pigs became the diet staple. Much later pig bones disappeared in favor of goats/cattle/sheep - the reason suggested is that as Ag efforts increased, the pigs were abandoned since they tore up the Ag fields so badly.
Redding's work also suggests that this transition period is the first time we see a human social hierarchy form where some humans enjoyed far better accommodations than others.
I haven't finished the book yet, but its excellent so far.
Added: http://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/31/science/first-settlers-domesticated-pigs-before-crops.html
The high intelligence of pigs is discussed in detail.
Fascinating is the description of the work of anthropologist Richard Redding who digs through the bones of ancient garbage pits to piece together the story of transition from hunter/gatherer to fixed community life - at a Turkish site called Hallan Cemi (going back about 10,000 years). The conventional story suggests that hunter gatherers first transitioned to Ag (grains, etc), then animal husbandry followed. Redding has found (from the garbage bones at HC) that hunter/gatherers went first to pig domestication - iow, pigs became the diet staple. Much later pig bones disappeared in favor of goats/cattle/sheep - the reason suggested is that as Ag efforts increased, the pigs were abandoned since they tore up the Ag fields so badly.
Redding's work also suggests that this transition period is the first time we see a human social hierarchy form where some humans enjoyed far better accommodations than others.
I haven't finished the book yet, but its excellent so far.
Added: http://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/31/science/first-settlers-domesticated-pigs-before-crops.html
