The primitive race of Soay sheep from the St Kilda archipelago in northwest Scotland has played an important role in narratives of the history of domestic sheep. The Soays, apparently a ‘Bronze Age’ race of sheep, were probably confined to the precipitous isle of Soay as soon as ‘Iron Age’ sheep were introduced to Hirta, St Kilda's main island, owing to the competitive edge of the ferocious Soay rams over the new arrivals. In the 1880s, Pitt-Rivers, following his archaeozoological interests, was the first to keep Soays in his park, their epic journey from the edge of the Atlantic to southern England enabled by his acquaintance with their owner. In the early twentieth century, Soays featured in animal bone reports for archaeological sites, were kept in parks and involved in breeding experiments, particularly around Horsham, Sussex (where their owner lived), and in Edinburgh. The transfer of 107 Soays to Hirta in 1934 and 1935, after humans had evacuated St Kilda, was a remarkable feat, enabling the important long-running Soay Sheep Project. The historical exploitation of ‘feral’ Soay sheep by the islanders of St Kilda has significant cultural ramifications.

中文翻译：

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Soay Sheep：背景故事

来自苏格兰西北部圣基尔达群岛的索伊羊的原始种族在叙述家养羊的历史中发挥了重要作用。Soays，显然是“青铜时代”的绵羊种族，由于凶猛的 Soay 公羊的竞争优势，一旦“铁器时代”羊被引入圣基尔达的主要岛屿 Hirta，很可能被限制在陡峭的 Soay 岛上在新来者。在 1880 年代，Pitt-Rivers 追随他对考古动物的兴趣，率先将 Soays 留在了他的公园里，他们从大西洋边缘到英格兰南部的史诗般的旅程得益于他与主人的熟识。在 20 世纪初，Soays 出现在考古遗址的动物骨骼报告中，被保存在公园并参与繁殖实验，特别是在 Horsham 周围，苏塞克斯（他们的主人住的地方）和爱丁堡。在人类撤离 St Kilda 之后，1934 年和 1935 年将 107 个 Soays 转移到 Hirta 是一项了不起的壮举，使重要的长期运行的 Soay Sheep 绵羊项目成为可能。圣基尔达岛民对“野生”索伊羊的历史利用具有重要的文化影响。