"In The Ecology of Pastoralism, a diverse group of contributions from archaeologists and ethnographers address pastoralism's significant impact on humanity's basic subsistence and survival, focusing on the network of social, political, and religious institutions existing within various societies dependent on animal husbandry. Pastoral peoples, both past and present, have organized their relationship with certain animals to maximize their ability to survive and adapt to a wide range of conditions over time. Despite differences in landscape, environment, and administrative and political structures, contributors show these societies share a major similar characteristic--high flexibility. Based partially on the adaptability of various domestic animals to difficult environments and partially on the ability of people to establish networks allowing them to accommodate political, social, and economic needs, this flexibility is key to survival of complex pastoral systems and serves as the connection among the varied cultures in the volume. Using archaeological and contemporary data, the wide variety of cases from a broad geographic sampling in The Ecology of Pastoralism offer a new perspective on the study of pastoralism that makes this volume a valuable contribution to current research in the area"--