Goats were man's first livestock
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The goat was the first livestock animal to be domesticated by man, a study has found. This occurred 10,000 years ago in the eastern part of the fertile crescent - what is now the Zagros mountains of Iran.
The goat was the first livestock animal to be domesticated by man, a study has found. This occurred 10,000 years ago in the eastern part of the fertile crescent - what is now the Zagros mountains of Iran.
A study of ancient goat bones revealed humans began herding wild goats long before they domesticated other animals such as cattle, pigs or sheep, so elevating the humble nanny to the status of being one of man's oldestedible friends.
Melinda Zeder, an archaeobiologist from the Smithsonian Institution, came to the conclusion after studying a museum collection of ancient bones from 36 wild and four domestic goats from six different regions of Iran and Iraq. By studying the ages and sexes of the animals at the time of death, she could conclude whether they were being hunted in the wild or slaughtered from a domestic herd.
However, dogs were domesticated long before goats, for their hunting instincts rather than as a source of food.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments