It may seem slightly foolish to begin with the idea of cheese as a part of early civilization, but few would dispute the significant role domesticated animals played in allowing hunters and gatherers to become herders and farmers. And where there are herds of animals there is milk, and where there is milk, almost always there is cheese. Sheep and goats were among the first domesticated animals, and though the discovery of cheese making is not documented, most food historians believe humans learned to make cheese fairly early on in their existence.