From domestication to the use of milk and wool to cultural and economic developments, sheep have played a central role in the evolution of human societies. Without livestock like sheep, as well as other species, humanity would not have developed as it did, researchers say.
After humans began raising sheep around 11,000 years ago, the animals gradually became indispensable, almost like a " jack-of-all-trades", according to an international team's findings reported in the journal Science.
Through genetic analyses of 118 sheep bones from the past roughly 12,000 years, the team, which includes researchers from Munich, confirmed that domestication began in south-east Anatolia. The bones originate from Europe and Asia. The team also explains how sheep became white.
Millennia-old excavations
Researchers who combed through excavations in the over 10,000-year-old village at Asikli Hoyuk in Anatolia showed that the first domesticated sheep descended from mouflons native to the Western to Middle Taurus. There, they found genomes among others that resembled those of early domestic sheep populations in Europe."
It is an incredible stroke of luck that the excavation sites in Anatolia provide such excellent conditions," said co-author Joris Peters from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. Relics from various centuries were uncovered in several layers.
The scientists first examined the bones, observing that the animals at a certain point showed joint damage, indicating they were penned. They also analysed the DNA and dated the bones using the radiocarbon method.
Development of white sheep
According to the study, shepherds had an interest in breeding animals with different fleece colours from very early on. "This is the earliest evidence of human intervention in the biology of livestock," explained the study's lead author, Kevin Daly, from Trinity College Dublin in Ireland.
Why white in particular? Munich scientist Peters said the animals were easier to spot and find in the landscape. Breeding different fleece patterns also served to differentiate between herds, making it clear which animal belonged to whom. It was likely also an expression of pride in one's own possessions.
Migration to Europe
According to Peters, all the current sheep stock in Europe can be traced back to prehistoric herds from Anatolia and the Eurasian steppe. "In these regions, the sheep populations emerged that were then brought to Europe."
The migration influenced the genetics of both sheep and humans in Europe. "In two waves, shepherds came from the East to Europe – bringing sheep and genes with them.
"The migration around 7,000 years ago and another 2,000 years later into central Europe profoundly changed the local human and animal gene pool. – dpa
