Sheep ancestry changed as pastoralism spread

Ancient genomes provide a moving picture of sheep history. A 2025 study traced early European flocks to Türkiye and identified a later, substantial influx of ancestry associated with the western steppe during the Bronze Age. Early herders were already selecting features including pigmentation, hornedness and growth. The animals that arrived with the first farmers were therefore not the only contributors to later sheep populations.

A modern fleece, horn or tail type should be understood against this history of movement and selection. No single outward trait serves as a complete ancestry record. A breed can preserve a valuable combination of characteristics without being genetically identical to a Neolithic flock. Ancient DNA can reveal relationships and changes that the bones alone might miss, but it remains dependent on the places and periods sampled. Historical sheep movements also followed human movements, exchange and changing uses of land.