sheep

Sheep were domesticated 10,000 years ago in Central Asia, but it wasn't until 3,500 B.C. that man learned to spin wool. Sheep helped to make the spread of civilization possible. Sheep production was well established during Biblical times. There are many references to sheep in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament. Sheep production is man's oldest organized industry. Wool was the first commodity of sufficient value to warrant international trade. Lambs are usually linked to the Christian "Lamb of God" tradition. They represent gentleness, innocence, purity and sacrifice. When a coat of arms with lambs is displayed, it suggests a pious and religiously faithful family. A lamb carrying a staff or banner with a cross depicts the Paschal lamb (Christ represented in perfect sacrifice) for the religious faithful. In the 1400's, Queen Isabella of Spain used money derived from the wool industry to finance Columbus and other Conquistador voyages. In 1493 on his second voyage to the New World, Columbus took sheep with him as a "walking food supply." The Spaniards left some sheep in Mexico and South America whose ancestors survive today in the land of the Navajo.