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by Ralph Hooks (Author)
As members of the Columbidae family of birds, pigeons have a long and complex connection with human culture. Because of their special traits and talents, domesticated animals have been valued and used for thousands of years in a wide range of civilizations and communities. This chapter explores the amazing path of pigeons, from untamed birds to beloved friends and indispensable instruments in human undertakings. Significance in History Pigeon domestication began in ancient Mesopotamia in 3000 BCE, when the birds were first reared for food. As time went on, people came to appreciate and take use of their remarkable homing ability, which allows them to travel great distances to return to their nest. As a result, they were used as messengers by the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans, among other civilizations. For example, the Romans utilized pigeons to deliver military communications, while the Greeks used them to proclaim the victors of the Olympic Games. Pigeons were essential to communication throughout the Middle Ages. The development of pigeon post networks made it possible to send information quickly across long distances, which was particularly useful during sieges and battles. Their employment in the First and Second World Wars, when pigeons delivered vital communications that often decided the course of battles, is one famous example. Despite being wounded, homing pigeon Cher Ami is renowned for saving around 200 troops from the Lost Battalion during World War I by carrying a message. The Value of Culture Many civilizations have a deep regard for and symbolic meaning for pigeons. They represented tenderness and beauty and were connected to the goddess of love, Aphrodite, in classical Greece. Similar to this, pigeons are often seen as peace symbols and divine messengers in Hinduism. The dove, a kind of pigeon, is a representation of the Holy Spirit in Christian imagery, signifying purity and hope. Pigeons are still associated with freedom and peace in modern times. The biblical account of Noah's Ark is the source of the widely accepted emblem of peace-a white dove holding an olive branch.
