Scientists have created an extensive genetic map of the origins and migrations of domestic cattle in East Asia. New evidence has been obtained of early exchanges between ancient civilizations along the Great Silk Road, the news agency reports. Xinhua. The results of the study, led by Professor Cai Dawei from Jilin University and dozens of archaeological research institutes in China, were published in the journal Science.

The team analyzed 166 ancient cattle specimens collected from dozens of archaeological sites across China, spanning nearly 10,000 years. This became one of the largest and most comprehensive genomic data sets of ancient livestock from East Asia.

The work showed that livestock in East Asia did not originate from a single source. Instead, it emerged through a gradual process involving repeated external introductions and deep genetic integration with local populations.

“Cattle have always played a central role in the agricultural-pastoral societies of East Asia. Genomic studies in other regions show a complex evolutionary history, including multiple stages of dispersal and widespread mixing of populations,” Tsai said.

As early as 5,000 years ago, in the late Neolithic, domestic cows reached the Yellow River basinthe center of ancient Chinese civilization, where they interbred with local wild aurochs. This resulted in early populations of livestock with distinct regional characteristics.

The oldest cattle discovered in the Xinjiang region (northwest China) contain genetic traces of Western cows and South Asian Indian cattle. This indicates several waves of its introduction into East Asia.

Cows with these genetic traits gradually spread east into the Yellow River basin. This was the genetic structure of livestock in northern China from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age (5000-1500 years ago).

“The evolutionary history traced in the study not only describes how livestock spread across East Asia, but also reflects long-standing networks of cultural interactions between East and West Eurasia. The results provide new perspectives for understanding intercontinental human migrations, technological exchanges and early contacts between civilizations,” Tsai said.