12ThICAANE: 12th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East
Theme 5, April 6-9, 2021.

Oral Paper: Vila Emmanuelle, Marjan Mashkour, Ludovic Orlando, François Pompanon, Philippe
Abrahami, Cécile Michel, Jwana Chahoud, Thomas Cucchi, Catherine Breniquet, Daniel
Bradley, Remi Berthon, Bea De Cupere, Moussab Albesso, Hossein Davoudi, Oscar Estrada,
Manon Vuillien, Camille Bader, Lionel Gourichon, Mohaseb Azadeh, Jacqueline Studer

The development of sheep breeds in Southwest Asian societies (6th-1rst millennia B.C.): EvoSheep project–multidisciplinary approaches.

Sheep played a fundamental role in the economy of the early pastoral societies of Southwest Asia since its domestication. This is due to its remarkable adaptability to dietary and climatic conditions. Sheep farming has been a central element in the urbanization process of early states and an economic driver. The expansion of sheep resulted in its diversification and emergence of various characteristics. The appearance of the fat tail, woolly fleece, pigmentation and the disappearance of moulting are among questions that are still poorly documented. The paper presents ongoing research on the process of breeds emergence that associates complementary approaches: archaeozoology, philology, iconography, GMM and genetics of ancient and modern sheep breeds. The French National Research Agency (ANR) funds the EvoSheep project.