The interaction between biological and technological change during the development of different fleece types in sheep

The Neolithic feral Mouflon of Corsica shows that it took several thousand years after domestication for a fleece to develop. Although wool may first have been used as felt, suggested by the natural felting of a moulting coat, the earliest remains are of Bronze Age cloth that indicates the combing of underwool from the outer hair before the full development of the first (Hairy-medium) fleece. The later, Generalised-medium, fleeces were plucked. Twisted strands of wool formed when a sheep rubs a moulting fleece could have led to spinning, Hairy-medium fleeces giving worsted yarns and Generalised-medium fleeces, woollens. Breeding for continuous wool growth could not begin before the development of shears in the Iron Age and it led to a new, true Hairy type of fleece. This was also when breeding for white wool started along with the development of dyes.