The Roles of Domesticated Ovis aries in Historical Asian Civilizations

Background and Aim: Generally, historians do not give much time or effort to investigating the material importance of non-humans in the creation of historic communities, states, and empires. This paper aims to remedy this situation regarding Asia by outlining the contribution of one particular species of non-human, that is Ovis aries; the domestic sheep. Materials and Methods: The author works with the national and imperial histories of a set of historical states, plus the accepted archaeological knowledge of several prehistoric settlements and cities to tease out why and how Ovis spp made significant contributions to the rise of these settlements and states, mainly from an economic perspective. Results: The resulting narrative indicates that if anybody wants to understand history and prehistory fully, they must at least acknowledge the possibility that non-humans are key players. This is indicated only with one species, but this one species seems important across a long length of human prehistory and history, and other species probably made similar important contributions. Conclusion: Sheep were essential in the making of the exact pathways of historical development that these few Asian case studies display. It is highly unlikely the world would be the way it is today in these specific geographies without sheep farming and the wool trade.