Management and domestication of cattle (Bos taurus) in Neolithic Southwest Asia

A new analysis challenges the traditional narrative that taurine cattle domestication began around 8500 BC in northern Syria's Euphrates Valley. Instead, it argues that domestic phenotypes emerged later, around the eighth millennium BC, across multiple regions of Southwest Asia. The study distinguishes between 'cattle management'—preceding phenotypic changes—and actual domestication, which likely involved selective breeding and reproductive isolation. Using archaeological and ancient DNA evidence, researchers found that pre-domestic cattle management, including penning, foddering, and selective culling, predated morphological changes. This suggests a more complex, geographically dispersed process than previously thought, with multiple centers of innovation rather than a single origin. The findings redefine our understanding of cattle domestication's timeline and geographic spread.

Arbuckle, B. S., & Kassebaum, T. M. (2021). Management and domestication of cattle (Bos taurus) in Neolithic Southwest Asia. Animal Frontiers, 11(3), 10–19. https://doi.org/10.1093/af/vfab015