Ancient goat DNA reveals East–West cultural interaction across Eurasia

Throughout the long history of cultural interaction between the East and the West, the Eurasian continent has served as a central hub facilitating diverse forms of exchange, including the circulation of materials, technological transmission, and human migration. Such interactions were often accompanied by the dispersal of domestic animals. As one of the earliest animals domesticated by humans, goats (Capra hircus) are closely associated with human activities during their spread across Eurasia, and their dispersal history has left distinct evolutionary signatures in their genetic information. In this study, ancient DNA analysis was conducted on 16 goat remains excavated from six archaeological sites in China dating to the Bronze Age and Iron Age. Phylogenetic analysis, principal component analysis, and median-joining network based on mitochondrial genome sequences were employed to provide genetic evidence supporting population migration and cultural interaction between eastern and western regions of Eurasia. Furthermore, by integrating genetic results with archaeological evidence, this study demonstrates that ancient goats in China exhibited close genetic connections across different regions and time periods as a result of human migration and cultural transmission. Ancient DNA research on Chinese goats therefore provides important molecular evidence for addressing archaeological questions such as the origin and spread of agriculture, the processes of East–West cultural interaction across Eurasia, and patterns of human migration.