Domestication is defined as the ability to tame an animal, especially by generations of breeding, to live in close association with human beings as pet or work animal and usually creating a dependency on the human by the animal. This changes the animal's ability to live independently from humans in the wild. Sheep were domesticated for a closer access to food and other goods like wool and milk. In order for animal to become used to and reliant on human interaction, they first need to be domesticated. Sheep are considered to be domesticated three separate times in the fertile crescent, located in western Iran and Turkey, Syria and Iraq. Taking place 10,500 years ago, these separate domestications created three different subspecies of the
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A study was recently done in 2015 to look into the lineages of domesticated sheep. Scientists took 42 domesticated sheep breeds from countries in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Asia and compared their DNA to that of 150 other breeds from several other countries. This giant accumulation of DNA sequences allowed scientist to look back 10,000 years to the time when humans first began to herd sheep in the Fertile Crescent. Scientists found that the genetic heritage of Asian sheep produces two distinct lineages. Through the analysis of 150 different tissues, the first lineage shows that sheep first emerged in the Fertile Crescent and made their way to Asia through the Silk Road. Also, scientist traced a second lineage of sheep throughout Asia. This evidence provides information to prove that farmers in what is now Mongolia and Northern China developed their own unique breed of sheep. These animals made their way back east on the Silk Road. Frequent trading of ewes allowed the progenies to be mixed of the two lineages, creating ever more diverse breeds of sheep. Currently, sheep that are used throughout Asia are sheep that need to be able to handle long distances while being strong and hardy. The Asian sheep are more meat oriented as opposed to the rest of the world where sheep are mostly used for the production of wool. Different …show more content…
The wool industry was a major part of the economy and without it, making clothes would have been more difficult in the past. Wool is a renewable resource since it grows back on the sheep and can then be used again. This makes it easier to acquire wool and make clothing. Without domesticating sheep, the wool industry would not be as
A study was recently done in 2015 to look into the lineages of domesticated sheep. Scientists took 42 domesticated sheep breeds from countries in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Asia and compared their DNA to that of 150 other breeds from several other countries. This giant accumulation of DNA sequences allowed scientist to look back 10,000 years to the time when humans first began to herd sheep in the Fertile Crescent. Scientists found that the genetic heritage of Asian sheep produces two distinct lineages. Through the analysis of 150 different tissues, the first lineage shows that sheep first emerged in the Fertile Crescent and made their way to Asia through the Silk Road. Also, scientist traced a second lineage of sheep throughout Asia. This evidence provides information to prove that farmers in what is now Mongolia and Northern China developed their own unique breed of sheep. These animals made their way back east on the Silk Road. Frequent trading of ewes allowed the progenies to be mixed of the two lineages, creating ever more diverse breeds of sheep. Currently, sheep that are used throughout Asia are sheep that need to be able to handle long distances while being strong and hardy. The Asian sheep are more meat oriented as opposed to the rest of the world where sheep are mostly used for the production of wool. Different …show more content…
The wool industry was a major part of the economy and without it, making clothes would have been more difficult in the past. Wool is a renewable resource since it grows back on the sheep and can then be used again. This makes it easier to acquire wool and make clothing. Without domesticating sheep, the wool industry would not be as