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The History of Wool In the Beginning.... Thousands of years ago, long before man started recording history, sheep were domesticated. What we know is Merino Sheep, the backbone of South Africa wool industry, is of Spanish origin and it's roots go back 3,000 years ago. Experts believe one of the main wild ancestors of modern sheep is a breed called Mouflon, which came from Mesopotamia. The Argal, which is Siberian wild sheep has large horns which was thought to have influenced the Merino, which has curved horns but are smaller. Sheep farming is man's oldest organized industry. Thousands of years ago man realized that by keeping flock's of sheep he would no longer hunt wild animals for food or clothing. Later man discovered that we didn't need to kill the sheep to get it's wool, but could clip it off the live animal. making the discovery was virtually the new beginning of the wool industry. |
