A View from the Herd: Cattle, Sheep, Goats, and Pigs in Pharaonic Egypt

Throughout Egyptian history, pastoralists have played a vital role in food production, and the importance of domesticated animals is reflected in their abundant depictions in texts, tomb reliefs, and 3D art. Richard Redding highlights how critical animal-rearing was to all aspects of the ancient Egyptian economy in both institutional and domestic settings. The success of this economy was due to the decisions made by herders in managing their animals, deciding the structure and size of their herds, when to slaughter, and when to sell. These decisions were dependent on economic forces, environmental conditions, and the herders’ knowledge of their animals.  The first section of the book d