The Donkey of Provence Le Bourriquet

A.A. Milne may have made Eeyore famous in his Winnie-the-Pooh books, however in reality the hardworking donkey has been helping humans out for thousands of years.

The equines family of horses, donkeys and zebras all has a long history.  There are even some prehistoric references.  The experts are divided as to whether horses or donkeys were domesticated first.  This is likely a riddle that will never truly be resolved, as in reality they were used in different geographies.

The donkey is actually featured on some of the oldest Egyptian monuments, leaving little doubt that they were domesticated and used in the warm lands around the Southern Mediterranean.  The ever sturdy and calm donkeys were recognized for their usefulness for transporting goods and agrarian tasks, as such they quickly spread to other parts of southern Europe and eventually to some more northern parts.

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