It has been some time since I broached this topic, leaving you on the edges of your seats. For that I do apologize. Okay okay, so maybe there are very few of you who read that first installment. I know that few of you have gone back into the history of this blog to see where it all began, instead preferring to wait for the new and exciting every week. Let me encourage you to do differently. Unlike other information sources, I try to avoid repeating myself (except when telling you to read more of my work and to leave comments and suggestions), so that topic you have hoped for may have already been covered! That being said, on with the show.
Any basic study of evolution will show you that plants and animals of different types arose on different land masses. When continental drift tore land masses apart, those species present on multiple continents evolved in different ways (or died out), as best fit their environment. It was not until humanity began exploring and carrying species to different land masses, that many of these species were introduced to other regions. By limiting which species are generally available to our creatures, writers significantly impact the culture of those creatures (yeah I had a little trouble figuring out where to file this article). The presence of large domesticated animals has significant impact on enabling modern (and Medieval European) life.
Farming is a cornerstone of modern society. Humans have been doing it for thousands of years. You dig a hole in the ground, put some seeds in, give it some water and *presto*, food. Ah, if only it were so simple. Anyway, hoeing your row is backbreaking work. With the aid of our large domesticated friends (horses, oxen, donkeys, etc) it became much easier to work a larger area of land. Their strength also made useful land of areas previously thought unworkable due to the presence of too many rocks or trees. Do not overlook the fact that these large animals also provide a great source of fertilizer (I seem to remember that using the human stuff is a bad idea). By enabling farmers to spread out and be more efficient, these labor saving machines increase food production, which allows for more free time. Free time from agriculture is what enables every other trade.
Big domesticated animals make a lovely food source. Domesticated cows/horses/oxen/etc provide a readily available source of meat that replenishes itself, which we don't have to go after with spears. Along with this, we get the joy of cheese, butter and other milk products. Just like farmers, hunters who don't need to go out so often (or at all) are more efficient and can take up other trades. An added bonus is that they are less likely to die in the act of hunting a wild animal.
Having large domesticated animals to provide over-land transportation is a significant advantage for most cultures. These animals are put to use to carry humans and to pull carts. This allows more goods to be carried faster for trade while requiring less humans to do the work. Without these animals, there would have been no Silk Road. Information can flow more freely over larger distances with an horse carrying a messenger. Limits on communication are the limits on an empire. Camels make it possible to cross deserts impenetrable to humans because they can carry us and the water that we need to survive. It is the camel that allowed nomads to travel the deserts as the did (do?). We have harnessed these beasts to extend our reach to other lands and other cultures. They provide the connective tissue through inhospitable lands.
Warfare was changed through the application of large animals. The presence of cavalry is a game changer. They can break lines of infantry with a charge and trample the enemy under their hooves. The Mongols dominated from the Steppes of Russia to the Chinese interior for a time with their mounted bowmen. Horsemen also make fantastic scouts. Hannibal famously used elephants in battle and while crossing the Alps into Italy. Large animals also enable the baggage train which can carry provisions and siege equipment for an army. Like so many other areas, these animals don't replace humans, they just enable us to do these jobs better.
Now you are nodding along and wondering what all of this has to do with anything. As I've said before, when creating a world, it is the limitations we place on our cultures that help to differentiate them. The Americas did not have horses or cows before Europeans introduced them (though the natives adapted to them rather well). Likewise, Australia had no large domesticated animals of its own. Africa too lacked some of the species intrinsic to Europe's cultural evolution. Naturally, most islands don't the space or resources necessary to support these populations. Cultures that lack the advantage of large animals must find other ways to succeed. They may maintain a hunter/gatherer lifestyle (ex: Australian Aboriginal cultures). They may stay close to the sea and rely on it for food and transport (ex: Hawaiian Islands). A highly structured social organization may be employed to increase the efficiency of workers (ex: Aztec and Mayan cultures). Large domesticated animals are not a prerequisite for culture, but they are force (labor/military) multipliers. By removing these creatures from an area of your imaginary world, your new culture may evolve in a wonderful new way.
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