Donkeys, beasts of burden first domesticated in prehistoric times, have served as a transport for trading commodities virtually since trade began. (Library of Congress)
A mammal resembling a small horse.
Its Latin name is Equus asinus, from where the shortened term “ass” is derived. Although it is a member of the horse family, the donkey is much smaller and is fairly easily domesticated.
Donkeys average 3.9 feet (shoulder height) and have a gray or brown coat, long ears, and an unusually large head. It is believed that Egyptians domesticated the donkey around 4000 B.C.E. It is much steadier on its hooves than a horse and, therefore, it is better on trails. It also has a longer life span (twenty-five to fifty years) than the average horse (eighteen years, with many reaching thirty years as well).
Originally, donkeys were desert dwellers. With the scarcity of food, it was impractical for donkeys to live in large herds, as such, this made them the perfect animal for carrying goods across the various desert trade routes. Its desert origins demanded that the donkey be hearty; it can be sustained on less food than a horse. Although donkeys are slower and less powerful than horses, their instincts also allow them to be more dependable. They are less likely to engage in any activity that they deem frightening or dangerous. No amount of force can convince a donkey to do anything that it sees as potentially harmful. The donkey’s loud and distinctive bray allowed for communication between the animals, and their large ears also aided in communication.
Donkeys, beasts of burden first domesticated in prehistoric times, have served as a transport for trading commodities virtually since trade began. (Library of Congress)
Historically, donkeys have been used for a variety of tasks. One such task was to protect sheep. Shepherds kept a donkey with their sheep at night to keep them safe and its braying scared off some predators while shepherds, after hearing the donkey’s alarm, could protect against more vicious animals. Donkeys were also used to halter break a foal. This involved tying the foal’s halter to a calm and trustworthy donkey. The donkey walks where it pleases, and the foal has no choice but to follow. When the foal is released, it does not associate this trauma with humans. By far the most common use for the donkey has been as a beast of burden. The trade routes through Asia and Africa were critically important to the societies living there, and few animals were capable of making the trek.
Overland trade in Asia from 1000 B.C.E. to 1400 C.E. was important. The trans-Asian route known as the Silk Road that encompassed East to West traffic in Chinese silk was important to Europeans. Trading involved crossing the Gobi Desert area of Asia (modern-day Mongolia). Mountains bound the Gobi, which is about 500,000 square miles. Several caravan trails dating from ancient times cross the Gobi region, and donkeys were one of the only animals capable of crossing both the desert and the mountainous terrain. There were several other important trade routes. For example, those through Irbil (ancient Arbela), a city in northern Iraq, and through K÷ash÷an, a city in central Iran, located in Tehran Province, both required donkeys because of the desert travel involved.
Caravan trade was the name applied to groups of pilgrims or merchants organized for mutual help and protection against the hazards of travel, particularly in the deserts of Asia and Africa. On these journeys, many of which covered long distances, the beasts of burden most frequently used were the camel and donkey. The animals were traditionally arranged in a single file, which in larger caravans extended for over six miles. Trade caravans figured prominently in the history of Asia and Africa. Wars were fought for control of caravan routes, many of which, for centuries, were the only arteries of communication and trade between parts of the various empires, and donkeys figured prominently in all these trade routes.
Pilgrims on their way to the holy city of Islam, Mecca, particularly the groups that assemble annually in Cairo and in Damascus, Syria, formed the most celebrated caravans, even today. Groups en route from these cities sometimes consist of several thousand people, and the number of camels or donkeys used for the journey may be more than 10,000.
Jeannine Loftus
See also: Caravans.
Clutton-Brock, Juliet. Horse Power: A History of the Horse and the Donkey in Human Societies. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1992.
Dent, Anthony Austen. Donkey: The Story of the Ass from East to West. London: Harrap, 1981.