Curated category
Livestock
- PigArchaeological evidence places the first domestication of pigs in the Near East around the Tigris Basin more than 11,400 years ago.
- SheepArchaeological evidence places the domestication of sheep between 11,000 and 9000 BC in Mesopotamia. This region served as a primary center for turning wild…
- HorseThe earliest known member of the horse family lived between 45 and 55 million years ago during the Eocene period. This creature was named Hyracotherium and…
- GoatArchaeological excavations at Ganj Dareh in Iran have uncovered goat remains dating back 10,000 years. These bones represent the earliest known evidence of…
- LivestockThe word livestock first appeared in print between 1650 and 1660. It combined the words live and stock to describe animals kept for human use.
- PoultryAround 8,000 years ago in Southeast Asia, people began keeping the red junglefowl. Genomic studies confirm this timeline, correcting earlier beliefs that…
- StableThe ancient city of Pi-Ramesses in Qantir holds the world's oldest known horse stables. These structures were established by Ramesses II during his reign…
- GrazingSheep and goats were domesticated by nomads before the first permanent settlements were constructed around 7000 BC. Cattle and pigs followed somewhat later…
- CamelThe earliest known camel, called Protylopus, lived in North America 40 to 50 million years ago during the Eocene. It was about the size of a rabbit and…
- American bisonBison first appeared in Asia during the Early Pleistocene, around 2.6 million years ago. They arrived in North America between 195,000 and 135,000 years ago…
- DeerFossils from the early Eocene period, dating back 50 to 55 million years ago, reveal an ancestor named Diacodexis. This creature was nearly the size of a…
- Nomadic pastoralismA herder in Nigeria moves cattle across dry earth to find fresh grass. This act defines nomadic pastoralism, a practice where livestock are herded to seek…
- Animal husbandryThe first wild animal to be domesticated was the dog, perhaps starting with young individuals tolerated as scavengers and killers of vermin.