An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c6.s2.t2.9

v1.c6.s2.t2.9

Of the four wild species of the sheep existing today (*Ovis musimon*, moufflon, found in Europe and the Middle East; *Ovis orientalis*, the Asiatic urial, found in the region between Iran and n.-w. India; *Ovis amnion*, argali, found in Tibet, Ladakh, Sikkim, Mongolia, the n. Himalayas and n. China; and *Ovid canadensis*, the Bighorn of n. Asia and n. America), the last is excluded from the ancestry of the domestic species. All domesticated sheep are descended from the moufflon, urial or argali. They are closely related to each other and are connected by intermediate breeds. Most wool sheep are believed to have been derived from urial stock, while hair sheep are traced back to the moufflon. The Indian domestic sheep, as also those of Tibet and s.-e. Asia, are essentially derived from the urial stock. The argali has also contributed to this domesticated group but is of subordinate importance.