Les boeufs africains à cornes déformées : quelques éléments de réflexion

Cattle play an important role in many cultures, prehistoric as well as contemporary. Horns represent an important symbol, in the past as well as for present-day pastoral populations. In East Africa the pre-eminent role of cattle is evident in rock art as well as in the frequent presence of bucrania. From prehistory onward, horns have displayed various deformations of anthropogenic/human origin, the meaning of which is still unclear. Many prehistoric and present-day examples indicate a long tradition which illustrates the close relation of the pastoralist with his cattle and the role which these animals hold in his mental universe.