An international team of researchers has published a study in the journal Science, revealing new insights into sheep domestication and its impact on human civilization. The study analyzed 118 genomes recovered from archaeological bones dating across 12 millennia, shedding light on the prehistoric cultural trajectory of sheep and how they have shaped human societies over thousands of years. The findings confirm that the ancient village of Aşıklı Höyük in central Türkiye was the site of the first domestication of mouflons, representing the earliest evidence of sheep herding. The study also reveals evidence of selective breeding for coat color in European sheep populations around 8,000 years ago.