Domestication of cattle

Domestication of cattle was the prehistoric process through which people managed and selectively bred wild bovines, producing domestic cattle for food, labor, and other uses.

Aurochs: The extinct wild bovine from which domestic taurine cattle descended. Aurochs were the wild ancestors selected during cattle domestication.
Animal domestication: The multigenerational process by which human control and breeding alter animal populations. Cattle domestication is one instance of this broader process.
Pastoralism: A subsistence system centered on raising and moving livestock. Pastoral societies managed cattle herds and helped disperse domestic lineages.
Lactase persistence: The continued production of the lactase enzyme into adulthood, enabling digestion of lactose in milk. Dairying created cultural conditions in which this genetic trait could provide an advantage.
Fertile Crescent: A region of Southwest Asia where early agriculture and animal domestication developed. Archaeological evidence places taurine cattle domestication in this region.
Selective breeding: Reproduction directed toward desired inherited traits in plants or animals. Repeated choices about which cattle reproduced changed their inherited traits.
Dairy farming: The production of milk and dairy foods from domesticated animals. Use of cattle milk became a major reason to maintain and breed herds.
Secondary products revolution: A proposed prehistoric shift toward using livestock for milk, wool, traction, and other products beyond meat. Cattle illustrate how animal use expanded beyond slaughter for meat.
Indus Valley: A region of South Asia encompassing the Indus River basin and associated ancient societies. Zebu cattle were domesticated in South Asia, with evidence associated with this region.
Tameness: An individual animal's reduced fear or aggression toward humans. Tameness made cattle easier to manage, though it is not identical to domestication.

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