breeding begins:
It is believed that selective breeding for woolly sheep began around 6000 BCE, with efforts to obtain white-fleeced sheep beginning in Mesopotamia around 3000 BC. By the Bronze Age (2300-600 BCE) sheep with characteristics similar to the modern breeds were widespread throughout Western Asia. From Asia sheep were introduced via trading to North Africa and to Europe. By about 500 BCE in Greece, sheep and wool are established enough to be mentioned in writing. Virgil, Varro and Columella each describe sheep breeding processes and wool fabric production, mentioning the existence of sheep farms with as many as 10,000 sheep.
