Domestication of animals

During the Neolithic period humans started domesticating animals. Remains of animal bones at Neolithic sites tells us what animals were domesticated. with the domestication of animals like oxen, pigs and sheep, there was a regular supply of meat and the herders were able to keep well fed.

Dogs were first domesticated by hunters and gatherers of wild food plants in Central Asia at least 15,000 years ago. This was the first successful domestication of animals, including goats, cattle, and other species, as well as plants.

Animal domestication in the Neolithic period, like plant domestication, involved artificial selection: how humans bred certain species based on the characteristics they desired to pass on to the next generation. In this way, humans domesticated dogs, sheep, goats, and cattle, which over time became distinct from their wild ancestors and relatives.