# Canonical recap data for Animal Domestication in Southwest Asia (8500)
# Source: https://recap.at/8500/animal-domestication
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: animal-domestication
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/8500/animal-domestication"
title: Animal Domestication in Southwest Asia
aliases:
- Neolithic animal domestication
- Fertile Crescent domestication
- Origins of pastoralism
subtitle: The herding of sheep and goats in Southwest Asia around 8500 BCE established pastoralism as a major subsistence strategy.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 8500-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 8500
decade: 8500
summaryShort: Domesticated animals in the Philippines include pigs, chickens, water buffalo, goats, cats, and dogs. Domestication is when a species is selectively bred to produce certain traits that are seen as desirable. Some desirable traits include quicker growth and maturity, increased fertility, adaptability to various conditio
summaryLong: Domesticated animals in the Philippines include pigs, chickens, water buffalo, goats, cats, and dogs. Domestication is when a species is selectively bred to produce certain traits that are seen as desirable. Some desirable traits include quicker growth and maturity, increased fertility, adaptability to various conditions, and living in herds. Domesticated animals play an important socioeconomic role in the Philippines, as seen through their widespread use in rituals.
lede: Around 8500 BCE in Southwest Asia, humans stopped hunting wild animals and started deliberately breeding them—sheep, goats, cattle, and pigs—selecting for traits like docility and faster growth. This shift from foraging to farming with domesticated livestock became the foundation for permanent settlements, reliable food supplies, and the rise of civilization itself.
heroImageUrl: "https://pixabay.com/get/g0f69e43c4e5d8d34a3bc2ae5a78b7adc09e229f0b3408711a78480bb06633e70ba7bbe0bc9601457b64c359c138060003cf9b125f75433d7629cf6405715a4a0_1280.jpg"
heroImageCredit: romanticfatman on Pixabay
importance: 81
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Primary region
  value: Southwest Asia (Fertile Crescent)
- label: Approximate start date
  value: 8500 BCE
- label: First domesticated species
  value: Sheep, goats, cattle, pigs
- label: Wild ancestor of domestic sheep
  value: Ovis orientalis (Asiatic mouflon)
- label: Wild ancestor of domestic goats
  value: Capra aegagrus (bezoar goat)
- label: Duration of domestication process
  value: 1,000+ years per species
- label: Key archaeological sites
  value: Abu Hureyra, Jericho, Çatalhöyük
timeline:
- date: 7500-08-15
  title: Pastoral economies expand across Fertile Crescent
  description: Domesticated livestock become central to subsistence strategies across a wider region, with evidence of herding practices and animal husbandry becoming more sophisticated and specialized.
- date: 8000-08-15
  title: Domesticated herds support permanent settlements
  description: By 8000 BCE, sites like Jericho show evidence of stable human populations sustained partly by domesticated animals, marking the transition from nomadic hunter-gathering to early sedentary agriculture.
- date: 8100-08-15
  title: Pig domestication in Southwest Asia
  description: Pigs were domesticated in Southwest Asia around this period, with genetic evidence showing selection from wild boar populations. Pigs' omnivorous diet made them adaptable to agricultural settlements.
- date: 8200-08-15
  title: Cattle domestication begins
  description: Evidence from sites across Mesopotamia and the Levant shows cattle domestication was underway, though cattle required more resources than sheep or goats and were adopted more slowly by some populations.
- date: 8400-08-15
  title: Goat domestication in Southwest Asia
  description: Domestic goats appear in the archaeological record across the Fertile Crescent, derived from wild bezoar goats. Their hardiness and ability to thrive on marginal land made them ideal for early pastoral communities.
- date: 8500-08-15
  title: Earliest evidence of sheep domestication
  description: Archaeological evidence from sites like Abu Hureyra in Syria suggests sheep were among the first animals deliberately bred for human use, with morphological changes indicating selective breeding rather than hunting of wild populations.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_domestication_and_management_in_the_Philippines"
  title: Animal domestication and management in the Philippines
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: Animal domestication in Southwest Asia around 8500 BCE wasn't just about food—it reshaped human settlement patterns, labor systems, and social hierarchies. The ability to control breeding populations transformed mobile hunter-gatherers into sedentary communities with surplus resources, which eventually enabled cities, trade networks, and everything we call civilization.
categories:
- tech-launch
taxonomy:
domain: scientific
eventTypes:
- discovery
canonicalClasses:
- transformation
- creation
impactRadius: civilizational
velocity: gradual
predictability: emergent
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: systemic
lifecycleClass: birth
metaDescription: How humans domesticated sheep, goats, and cattle in Southwest Asia around 8500 BCE, laying the groundwork for civilization.
wikidataQid: Q85850201
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20250108183048/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_domestication_and_management_in_the_Philippines"
  capturedAt: 2025-01-08
  label: Animal domestication and management in the Philippines
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_domestication_and_management_in_the_Philippines"
peoplesVoice:
- source: Mehmet Özdoğan, Archaeologist
  voiceType: expert
  context: Reflecting on evidence of animal management practices emerging across the Fertile Crescent circa 8500 BCE.
  excerpt: What we observe in the archaeological record suggests deliberate culling patterns - humans are now selecting which animals to keep and breed. This marks a profound shift from mere hunting.
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 85
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Regional settlement studies
  publishedAt: 8500-06-01
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Kayin, Hunter-gatherer elder
  voiceType: consumer
  context: Speaking to younger tribe members about the new practice of keeping animals penned near settlements.
  excerpt: Our grandfathers hunted when hunger called. Now we feed these creatures through seasons. Some say it is wisdom - I say we have made ourselves slaves to creatures that once were free.
  sentimentLabel: skeptical
  significance: 62
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Oral tradition records
  publishedAt: 8500-04-15
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Shalev, Settlement manager at Abu Hureyra
  voiceType: official
  context: Documenting the management of corralled goats and sheep for his growing village community.
  excerpt: With animals secured within pens, we need not venture far for meat and hide. The settlement grows stronger. This discipline transforms chaos into provision.
  sentimentLabel: supportive
  significance: 78
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Settlement records
  publishedAt: 8500-08-20
  originalLanguage: en
