13/06/2026
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1J251eDUvx/
THE LIVING ARCHIVE ©
Few sheep breeds can trace their story back 1,500 years.
The Damara can.
In 2022, researchers led by Dr K. Ann Horsburgh analysed DNA from ancient sheep remains recovered from the archaeological site of Die Kelders on the southern coast of South Africa.
The remains were more than 1500 years old.
The researchers then compared those ancient sheep with modern indigenous southern African breeds, including Damara sheep sampled from the flock of the late Dawie du Toit of Prieska, South Africa — respected breeder and author of The Damara of Southern Africa.
The result was remarkable.
The study found modern Damara sheep still carry maternal genetic lineages that were present in southern Africa around 1,500 years ago.
Western Roman Empire falls (476 AD) Damara sheep lineages present in Southern Africa (c. 630–857 AD) Viking Age begins (793 AD) Magna Carta signed (1215 AD) First Fleet arrives in Australia (1788 AD) Australian Damara imports arrive (1996 AD)
Long before the First Fleet reached Australia, long before the Magna Carta was signed, and as the Vikings set sail, the maternal genetic lineages carried by many Damara sheep today were already present in southern Africa.
Today, descendants of this ancient southern African breed graze paddocks across Australia.
That is why the Damara is more than a sheep breed.
It is a living archive.
Did you know the Damara carried lineages this ancient? What first drew you to the breed?
Research Source: Horsburgh KA et al. (2022). Maternal Relationships among Ancient and Modern Southern African Sheep: Newly Discovered Mitochondrial Haplotypes. Biology 11(3):428. Available via PubMed.
© Written by Keith Layman, Hamilton Ridge Damara Stud, NSW Australia
Photograph © courtesy of Judy Forbes, Sherana Damara Stud (c 2004)
