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- The genomic history and global expansion of domestic donkeysPublication . Todd, Evelyn T.; Tonasso-Calvière, Laure; Chauvey, Lorelei; Schiavinato, Stéphanie; Fages, Antoine; Seguin-Orlando, Andaine; Clavel, Pierre; Khan, Naveed; Pérez Pardal, Lucía; Rosa, Laura Patterson; Librado, Pablo; Ringbauer, Harald; Verdugo, Marta Pereira; Southon, John; AURY, Jean-Marc; Perdereau, Aude; Vila, Emmanuelle; Marzullo, Matilde; Prato, Ornella; Tecchiati, Umberto; Gianni, Giovanna Bagnasco; Tagliacozzo, Antonio; Tinè, Vincenzo; Alhaique, Francesca; Cardoso, João Luís; Valente, Maria João; Antunes, Miguel Telles; Frantz, Laurent; Shapiro, Beth; Bradley, Daniel G; Boulbes, Nicolas; Gardeisen, Armelle; Horwitz, Liora Kolska; Öztan, Aliye; Arbuckle, Benjamin S.; Onar, Vedat; Clavel, Benoît; Lepetz, Sébastien; Vahdati, Ali Akbar; Davoudi, Hossein; Mohaseb, Azadeh; Mashkour, Marjan; Bouchez, Olivier; Cécile, Donnadieu; Wincker, Patrick; Brooks, Samantha A.; Pereira, Albano Beja; Wu, Dong-Dong; Orlando, LudovicDonkeys transformed human history as essential beasts of burden for long-distance movement, especially across semi-arid and upland environments. They remain insufficiently studied despite globally expanding and providing key support to low- to middle-income communities. To elucidate their domestication history, we constructed a comprehensive genome panel of 207 modern and 31 ancient donkeys, as well as 15 wild equids. We found a strong phylogeographic structure in modern donkeys that supports a single domestication in Africa ~5000 BCE, followed by further expansions in this continent and Eurasia and ultimately returning to Africa. We uncover a previously unknown genetic lineage in the Levant ~200 BCE, which contributed increasing ancestry toward Asia. Donkey management involved inbreeding and the production of giant bloodlines at a time when mules were essential to the Roman economy and military.