In the 1980s, archaeologists began to argue that inhabitants of northeastern Africa had domesticated cattle independently some 10,000 years ago.

Evidence

Early Cowboys Herded Cattle in Africa (Science Magazine)

Categorization

• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim
• XREF: connects to: Desertification forced ancient humans to domesticate cattle as a food resource. — Neil MacGregor, A History of the World in 100 Objects, 162; Farming developed independently in seven global regions 10,000 years ago. — Neil MacGregor, A History of the World in 100 Objects, 127; The earliest evidence of cattle domestication comes from the Eastern Sahara, where climatic desiccation advanced most rapidly. — Climate change, drought and pastoralism in the Sahel (+6 more)

Related

• Cattle could have been domesticated independently in Africa at the same time as in the Middle East, around 10,000 years ago. (similarity 0.92)
• Middle Nile evidence suggests independent origins of cattle in Africa 10,000 years ago. (similarity 0.88)
• Cattle arrived in Africa in 6000 BCE from the Middle East, not from independent domestication in the Sahara. (similarity 0.88)
• Nomads who roamed the Sahara millennia ago were the first to domesticate cattle. (similarity 0.86)
• The earliest evidence of cattle domestication comes from the Eastern Sahara, where climatic desiccation advanced most rapidly. (similarity 0.86)
• Ancient African domestic cattle are so distinct from both taurine and indicine cattle that they could derive from a separate domestication of African aurochs. (similarity 0.84)
• African Bos primigenius was the primary source for early Saharan domesticated cattle. (similarity 0.84)
• Desertification forced ancient humans to domesticate cattle as a food resource. (similarity 0.83)
• Modern cattle breeds descended from multiple independent domestication events of the wild aurochs. (similarity 0.83)
• Early cattle remains from Nabta Playa were wild hunted aurochs, whilst domesticated cattle were introduced to northeast Africa in the late 7th millennium BC. (similarity 0.82)
• The earliest verifiable domesticated cattle at Nabta Playa is c. 5600 bc. (similarity 0.81)
• By 5900 BC, caprines are likely present at Nabta Playa; earliest verifiable occurrence of domesticated cattle there is c. 5600 BC. (similarity 0.79)
• Around 4000 BP a climate change leading to desertification of the Sahara forced cattle and pastoralists southward. (similarity 0.78)