Sheep have been a vital part of human livelihood for over 11,000 years, providing meat, milk, and clothing. An international team of researchers has analyzed 118 ancient genomes to uncover the history of this species. Their findings, published in Science, reveal that sheep domestication led to significant changes in human populations.
The study began by examining archaeological bones from Mongolia to Ireland, covering a period of 12 millennia. The researchers found that the earliest sheep-herding village in the region, Aşıklı Höyük in central Turkey, had genomes that were ancestral to later populations. This suggests that sheep domestication occurred around 11,000 years ago in the western part of the northern Fertile Crescent.
As humans began to select for specific traits in their flocks, such as coat color, they also showed evidence of manipulating other animals’ biology. The team identified a gene associated with white coat color in livestock, known as “KIT.” This suggests that early herders were interested in the unique characteristics of their animals.
The study also reveals that the earliest domestic sheep genomes from Europe and further east in Iran and Central Asia diverged from each other around 8,000 years ago. However, this separation was reversed when people translocated sheep from eastern populations to the west.
The researchers found that human migrations played a significant role in shaping the genetic makeup of European populations during the Bronze Age. The massive migration of pastoralist peoples from the Eurasian steppes to Europe around 5,000 years ago introduced new ancestry and language groups.
The study’s findings provide insight into the complex relationship between humans and sheep over millennia. The researchers suggest that further transdisciplinary research is needed to clarify the patterns of dispersal and selection of landraces in Eurasia and Africa.
Source: https://phys.org/news/2025-01-ancient-dna-analyses-life-year.html