The Long Journey of Domesticated Sheep: How Ancient Herders Shaped a Global Livelihood
New genomic research traces 11,000 years of sheep domestication, migration, and selective breeding
Sheep and the Rise of Human Societies
For over 11,000 years, sheep have been central to human survival, providing food, milk, wool, and economic stability to societies from the Near East to the edges of Europe and beyond. But how did this partnership begin?
A new study published in Science1 offers the most detailed genetic reconstruction yet of the domestication and dispersal of sheep, revealing how their history is intertwined with human migration, trade, and technological innovation.
Led by geneticists from Trinity College Dublin and zooarchaeologists from LMU Munich and the Bavarian State Collections of Natural History (SNSB), researchers analyzed 118 ancient genomes from archaeological remains spanning 12 millennia and covering regions from Mongolia to Ireland. Their findings illustrate how early farmers selectively bred sheep, transported them across vast distances, and shaped their genetic diversity over time.
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