The aim is to reconstruct the genomic path of cattle domestication using a palaeogenomic analysis of direct witnesses of the evolution that took place from 10,000 years ago in South West Asia during the Neolithic revolution, to the establishment of cultures based on the exploitation of cattle in Europe. Out of a previous characterization of the mitochondrial DNA of about 600 archaeological samples of wild and domesticated cattle dating from 9,000 to 1,000 years ago, we have selected samples representing the various archeologically well documented stages of the domestication process from its beginning in Turkey to the Middle Ages in France that have shown good DNA preservation and a relevant phylogenetic position. We have prepared several of the corresponding libraries in a high-containment facility and tested their content through pilot sequencing experiments.
