An African origin and a history of movement

A 2022 genomic study supports a single domestication of donkeys in Africa around 5000 BCE, followed by expansion within Africa and into Eurasia. Later movements also carried ancestry back into Africa. Modern geographic groups therefore reflect a history of migration and differentiation, rather than a simple map in which every region produced its own independently domesticated donkey.

Ancient genomes also revealed that historical management could be highly deliberate. The study found evidence of inbreeding and the production of large donkey bloodlines during the Roman period, when mule production supported transport, economic activity and military work. These findings describe the sampled ancient populations; they do not show that a modern large donkey breed descends directly from a particular Roman animal. The relationship between people and donkeys includes both biological selection and changing demands for labor. Large ears or a familiar coat pattern cannot, by themselves, reconstruct that history.