References

Introduction

I make no apology for the constant updating of these references nor the rough state of the catalogue: these are my working notes and the reference pages will eventually be organised in an academic reference style.

This menu of references provides my working bibliography for the current project exploring the possible ancient roots of donkey migrations and domestication which lead (after thousands of years) to the Andalusian donkey breed. I am providing this guide to the bibliography because others may find it interesting and I can share the links with others in the ASNOPRA community with whom I am discussing the development of this study. When the filename alone is given, the document is stored on this website; otherwise a URL reference is to an external web source, and if no filename is given this indicates a published text in book form.

*Islamic sources from medieval al-Andalus and Middle East are listed separately in Al-filāhah – bibliography of Medieval Arabic Agriculture

a). General donkey domestication history

Rossel, S. et al (2008) Domestication of the donkey timing processes and indicators, PNAS, vol. 105  no. 10 rossel-et-al-2008-domestication-of-the-donkey-timing-processes-and-indicators

b).Archaeology, history, and ancient near-east.
  1. Mitchell, Peter (2018). The Donkey in Human History: An Archaeological Perspective.
    Oxford: Oxford University Press.
    A foundational archaeological study of donkeys worldwide — tracing domestication, uses, and cultural significance across regions and periods. OUP Academic+1
  2. Way, Kenneth C. (2011). Donkeys in the Biblical World: Ceremony and Symbol.
    This book explores donkeys in ancient Near Eastern texts and archaeology, focusing on ritual and symbolic roles. eisenbrauns.org+1
  3. Goulder, Jill (2020). Working Donkeys in 4th–3rd Millennium BC Mesopotamia.
    Routledge / UCL Institute of Archaeology Series — a detailed case study of working donkeys in early Mesopotamian contexts. trivent-publishing.eu

c). Archaeological Journal Articles
  1. Mitchell, Peter (2017). “Why the donkey did not go south: Disease as a constraint on the spread of Equus asinus into southern Africa.” African Archaeological Review 34:21–41.
    Combines archaeology and environmental analysis to explain donkey dispersal limits. arch.ox.ac.uk
  2. El-Menshawy, Sherine (2009). “Uses of Domesticated Donkeys: Evidence from Old Kingdom Tomb Scenes.” Abgadiyat 4(1):51–.
    Archaeological study of donkey depictions and functions in Old Kingdom Egypt. brill.com
  3. Grigson, Caroline (2012). “Size Matters – Donkeys and Horses in the Prehistory of the Southernmost Levant.” Paléorient 38(1–2):185–201.
    A comparative archaeological and zooarchaeological study of equid remains in the Levant. persee.fr
  4. Household Rituals and Sacrificial Donkeys at Tell es-Sâfi/Gath (2018). Near Eastern Archaeology 81(3):202–211.
    Explores donkey burials and ritual contexts in a Bronze Age Levantine town. cris.biu.ac.il
  5. Shackelford, L., Marshall, F., & Peters, J. (2013). “Identifying donkey domestication through changes in cross-sectional geometry of long bones.” Journal of Archaeological Science 40(12):4170–4179.
    Zooarchaeological evidence for donkey domestication processes in early Egypt. ifao.egnet.net
d). Supplementary & Contextual Sources
  1. Studies in Egyptian Archaeology and Science (2024). “Donkeys in Modern Excavations: Two Case-Studies at Amarna.”
    Recent archaeological research showing long-term donkey roles in excavation and ancient logistics. seas.andromedapublisher.org
  2. Archaeozoological Case Studies (EBA Anatolia). “Earliest Mule Remains from Early Bronze Age Central Anatolia.” Animals (MDPI).
    Discusses early Equus remains including donkeys and mules used in transport. MDPI
  3. Early Egypt Bibliography Entries (IFAO).
    • Marshall & Weissbrod (2011). “Domestication process and morphological change: Through the lens of the donkey and African pastoralism.” Current Anthropology. ifao.egnet.net
e). Andalusian breed

Here are direct download links to free, official, or academically accessible PDFs for researching the development, history, genetics, and conservation of the Andalusian donkey (Asno Andaluz):

Official Breed & Conservation Documents
1. Programa de Cría de la Raza Asnal Andaluza (ASNOPRA / MAPA)

Official breeding program document (regulations, breed standard, conservation plan).
Download PDF (ASNOPRA version):
• Programa de Cría de la Raza Asnal Andaluza (ASNOPRA, 2023)
• Alternative official PDF via MAPA: Programa de Cría de la Raza Asnal Andaluza (Mapa.gob.es)

Academic / Research PDFs
2. Doctoral Thesis – Genetic Diversity & Functional Traits

Francisco Javier Navas González (Universidad de Córdoba).
Download PDF:
• Organización Estructural de la Diversidad Genética y Caracterización Etofuncional en la Raza Asnal Andaluza
(~22 MB research thesis on genetics, demography, structure and traits)

Scientific Articles (Open Access / PDF)
3. Genetic Diversity in Spanish Donkey Breeds

Comparative genetic study including the Andalusian donkey (open access).
Download full text PDF:
• Genetic diversity in Spanish donkey breeds using microsatellite DNA markers (Genetics Selection Evolution)
(includes data on the Andalusian breed’s genetic variation)

4. Hierarchical analysis of genetic structure

Article on population structure in Spanish donkey breeds (incl. Andalusian).
• PDF available via Nature: Hierarchical analysis of genetic structure in Spanish donkey breeds using microsatellite markers (Nature / Heredity)

Additional Academic Resource
5. Thesis – Preservation of Andalusian Donkey Semen

Study on reproductive biology and semen preservation (Universidad de Córdoba).
Download PDF:
• Optimización de la metodología de preservación del esperma del asno andaluz (Equus Asinus)

Francesco Camillo a, Alessandra Rota a, Lorenzo Biagini b, Matteo Tesi a, Diana Fanelli a, Duccio Panzani aThe Current Situation and Trend of Donkey Industry in Europe, Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, Volume 65, June 2018, Pages 44-49.

Abstract

Owing to the mechanization in agriculture and transport, the number of donkeys reared in Europe was reduced of 50% in the last 20 years and more than 80% since the middle of the last century. During this period, no attention was devoted to the breeding selection and biodiversity conservation, with the results that, nowadays, most of the European breeds of donkey are threatened of extinction. The remaining donkeys, in Europe, are employed for niche purposes as mule production or maintenance of soil and landscape. The consumption of donkey meat is not popular in Europe, and a few animals are sent to the slaughterhouse. A new interest is growing in Europe for donkey milk, mostly for human consumption, but also for the production of beauty products. Marginal areas of donkey employment are the social and leisure uses. In spite of the fact that interest for donkey in Europe is very marginal and very few or even no funding for research were provided from national or European authorities, more or less one third of articles published on different aspect of donkey sciences in the last 20 years were produced in Europe.

Introduction

Donkeys (Equus asinus) were domesticated in Northeast Africa around 6,000–7,000 years ago and played a key role in the expansion of human populations as well as in trading activities across the Old World. Today, donkeys are still working animals that contribute to the subsistence of millions of people in less industrialized countries.

In Europe, before the Second World War, donkeys were employed as tractor force and transport of people and goods in agriculture, for example, milk, hay, mostly in the southwest part of the continent; what it is now a car for a family was at that time a donkey. With the improvement of mechanization in agriculture, the development of the automobile industry, and with the progressive movement of people from the country to the towns, the importance and the number of donkeys dramatically decreased. As a consequence of low profitability, small farms and marginal lands have been progressively abandoned with serious consequences for the management of countryside and for the contrast to adverse natural events. Today, European agriculture is more and more intensive and concentrated in limited areas with dramatic consequences for the quality of the environment to which European citizens are exposed, on daily basis. Moreover, intensive agriculture and livestock farming result in soil exhaustion and groundwater pollution and raise questions in the public related to the type of crops farmed and to the quality of animal well-being. The donkey has been the most affected livestock species by industrialization, depopulation of rural districts, and mechanization of agriculture: this has led to a population decline of up to 80% in the 20th century, resulting in a dramatic situation of donkeys [1] and in the lack of information on donkey’s population, breeds, and uses in Europe.

The aim of this manuscript was to review the current situation of donkey in Europe, in terms of animals stock and breeds, principal uses and perspectives, and status of research.