HORTICULTURE

Detailed explanation-1: -In southwest Asia, sheep were among the first domesticated livestock. Together with goats, cattle, and swine, they make up the key animal components of the Neolithic “package, ‘’ which subsequently spread throughout the globe (Figure 1).

Detailed explanation-2: -Dr Pablo Orozco-terWengel, researcher at Cardiff University, said: “Sheep and goats were domesticated near the fertile crescent approximately 10, 500 years ago. “We investigated the domestication history of these two species by comparing their genes to their wild ancestors – the Asiatic mouflon and the Bezoar ibex.”

Detailed explanation-3: -The first animals to be domesticated for food use are thought to be sheep, between 11, 000 and 9, 000 B.C. in Southwest Asia. Goats followed later around 8, 000 BC. Both animals were used for their meat, milk, and coats, and became an integral part of nomadic communities.

Detailed explanation-4: -Sheep were among the first animals to be domesticated by humans (although the domestication of dogs may be over 20, 000 years earlier); the domestication date is estimated to fall between 11, 000 and 8, 000 BC in Mesopotamia.