Research has established that wildgoats were domesticated 10,000 years ago in the highlands of the Zagros Mountains of western Iran, marking for the first time in history, man’s transition from hunter-gatherer to farmer and livestock keeper. In a relatively short period of time the westbound migration of New Stone Age farmers brought domestic goats to Greek territories. The first domestic animal remains found in Greece are dated at the early Neolithic Age. From the Bronze Age until the ancient historic era, Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans and Berbers, introduced goats throughout the Mediterranean coastal regions and islands, to South-Western Europe and the shores of the Atlantic Ocean.
In Greek mythology, Zeus was raised, in the Ideon Andron cave (Crete), on the milk of goat ‘Amalthia’, which was supplied by Nymphs in the famous “Amalthia Horn”, a symbol of abundance. Zeus constructed his shield, from Amalthia’s skin which he named ‘’Aigida”, a direct allusion to “Aiga” the Greek term for goat. Pan, the Greek god patron of pastoralists, was depicted as goat-legged and goat-headed. The Bible also contains frequent references to goats.
Goat breeding in Greece has always been widespread in both mainland and island regions due to the availability of suitable terrain and climate. Herds consist exclusively of goats or are mixed with sheep. Throughout the 20th century Greece has had the highest density of goats per person, per square meter, in Europe in relative and absolute terms (4-5 million) despite occasional attempts at restricting their numbers to protect forested land. The greatest part of the goat population belonged to the Greek goat breed, perfectly adapted to the harsh and adverse Greek geo-climatic conditions.
In the 21st century, the native goat population has been experiencing a dramatic decline throughout the country; this decline is intensified by the increased import of foreign breeds. These factors create an urgent need for the study of the autochthonous Greek goats in order to preserve their genetic richness. Until today, the available bibliography is poor, lacking the systematic and extensive study of the great phenotypic and genetic variability of Greek indigenous goats. The preservation of such breeds can lead to the development of products with unique qualities.