 The rearing of sheep for secondary products , and the resulting breed development , began in either southwest Asia or western Europe . Initially , sheep were kept solely for meat , milk and skins . Archaeological evidence from statuary found at sites in Iran suggests that selection for woolly sheep may have begun around 6000 BC , and the earliest woven wool garments have been dated to two to three thousand years later . Before this , when a sheep was slaughtered for its meat , the hide would be tanned and worn as a kind of tunic . Researchers believe that the development of such clothing encouraged humans to live in areas far colder than the Fertile Crescent , where temperatures averaged 70 ° F ( 21 ° C ) . Sheep molars and bones found at Çatalhöyük suggest that populations of domestic sheep may have been established in the area . By that span of the Bronze Age , sheep with all the major features of modern breeds were widespread throughout Western Asia . 
