The Origin of African Sheep: Archaeological and Genetic Perspectives

Indigenous African sheep genetic resources have been classified into two main groups, fat-tailed and thin-tailed sheep. The fat-tailed sheep are the most widely distributed, being found in a large part of North Africa (from Egypt to Algeria) and in Eastern and Southern Africa (from Eritrea to South...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The African archaeological review 2013-03, Vol.30 (1), p.39-50
Main Authors: Muigai, Anne W. T., Hanotte, Olivier
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
African history
Animal domestication
Animal genetics
Anthropology
Archaeology
Continents
DNA
Domestication
Livestock
Mitochondrial DNA
Pastoralism
Regional and Cultural Studies
rev genes
REVIEW ARTICLE
Sheep
Social Sciences
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Summary:Indigenous African sheep genetic resources have been classified into two main groups, fat-tailed and thin-tailed sheep. The fat-tailed sheep are the most widely distributed, being found in a large part of North Africa (from Egypt to Algeria) and in Eastern and Southern Africa (from Eritrea to South Africa). The thin-tailed sheep are present mainly in Morocco, Sudan and in West Africa. African sheep were domesticated outside Africa. They share a common ancestry with European and Asian sheep. Archaeological information supports separate introductions and dispersion histories for the African thin-tailed and fat-tailed sheep. The first sheep entered Africa via the Isthmus of Suez and/or the southern Sinai Peninsula, between 7500 and 7000 BP. They were likely of the thin-tailed type. Fat-tailed sheep entered Africa through its northeastern part and the Horn of Africa. Mitochondrial DNA analysis supports a common maternal ancestral origin for all African sheep, while autosomal and Y chromosome DNA analysis indicates a distinct genetic history for African thintailed and sub-Saharan fat-tailed sheep. The main ancestral population of southern African fat-tailed sheep likely originated in East Africa. Further work is needed to assess the possible dispersion of sheep from western Africa to the southern African regions. Les ressources génétiques africaines du mouton sont classifiées en deux groupes principaux, les moutons à queue grasse et les moutons à queue fine. Les moutons à queue grasse ont la distribution géographique la plus étendue, se rencontrant dans une grande partie de l'Afrique du Nord (depuis l'Égypte jusqu'à l'Algérie), et dans les régions les plus à l'est et au sud de l'Afrique (de l'Érythrée à l'Afrique du Sud). Les moutons à queue fine sont présents principalement au Maroc, au Soudan et en Afrique de l'Ouest. Les moutons africaines ont été domestiqués en dehors de l'Afrique. Ils partagent un ancêtre commun avec les moutons asiatiques et européens. Les informations archéologiques supportent une introduction distincte et une histoire de dispersion en partie séparée pour les moutons à queue grasse et à queue fine sur le continent. Les premiers moutons sont arrivés en Afrique par l'Isthme de Suez et/ou le sud de la Péninsule du Sinaï, entre 7500 et 7000 BP. Ils étaient probablement du type mouton à queue fine. Les moutons à queue grasse entrèrent en Afrique par le nord-est du continent et la corne de l'Afrique. Les résultats de l'ADN mitochondrial suppor
ISSN:0263-0338
1572-9842
DOI:10.1007/s10437-013-9129-0