Archaeology Guide Kris Hirst looks into the origin of the domesticated goat, Capra hircus. She says neolithic farmers in the Near East in Iran and Turkey began domesticating them 10,000-11,000 years ago, adapting them from the wild goat, Capra aegargus. They may also have been domesticated in other places, including Pakistan, although more recently. Read more about the Domestication of Goats and When and Where Animal Domestication Occurred.

The photograph of goats on the island of Ithaki, Greece was taken by Malingering on Flickr.