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Prey animals, sheep, goats, pigs and cattle, were progressively domesticated early in the history of agriculture. [3] Pigs were domesticated in the Near East between 8,500 and 8000 BC, [4] sheep and goats in or near the Fertile Crescent about 8,500 BC, [5] and cattle from wild aurochs in the areas of modern Turkey and Pakistan around 8,500 BC. [6]
[8] [9] Cattle breeds vary widely in size; the tallest and heaviest is the Chianina, where a mature bull may be up to 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) at the shoulder, and may reach 1,280 kg (2,820 lb) in weight. [10] The natural life of domestic cattle is some 25–30 years. Beef cattle go to slaughter at around 18 months, and dairy cows at about five years.
Domestication is a gradual process, so there is no precise moment in the history of a given species when it can be considered to have become fully domesticated. Zooarchaeology has identified three classes of animal domesticates: Pets (dogs, cats, ferrets, hamsters, etc.) Livestock (cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, etc.)
Sheep were domesticated in Mesopotamia between 13,000 and 11,000 years ago. [22] Cattle were domesticated from the wild aurochs in the areas of modern Turkey and Pakistan some 10,500 years ago. [23] Pig production emerged in Eurasia, including Europe, East Asia and Southwest Asia, [24] where wild boar were first domesticated about 10,500 years ...
Sheep were domesticated in Mesopotamia between 11,000 BC and 9000 BC. [38] Cattle were domesticated from the wild aurochs in the areas of modern Turkey and India around 8500 BC. [39] Camels were domesticated relatively late, perhaps around 3000 BC. [40] Centres of origin identified by Nikolai Vavilov in the 1930s.
Domestication (not to be confused with the taming of an individual animal [3] [4] [5]), is from the Latin domesticus, 'belonging to the house'. [6] The term remained loosely defined until the 21st century, when the American archaeologist Melinda A. Zeder defined it as a long-term relationship in which humans take over control and care of another organism to gain a predictable supply of a ...
The Bovidae includes three domesticated species whose use has spread around the world: cattle, sheep, and goats; all are from Eurasia. Other large bovids that have been domesticated but which have less ubiquitous distributions include the domestic buffalo (from the wild water buffalo ), domestic yak (from the wild yak ), zebu (from the Indian ...
Rulers focused on the productivity and number of "domesticated" subjects. The early states had to collect people, settle them near the center of power, and force them to produce a surplus in excess of their own needs. He also notes that since early states were full of disease, population tended to fall unless people could be replaced by new slaves.