The ability to raise cattle, while nice, is secondary to that.
This is so wrong, in so many ways, I had to take the time to stop lurking and register just so I could reply to it
The ability to raise cattle would be the GREATEST change ITTL. Cattle are more than food in and of themselves. They provide leather, meat, milk, yes, and all the products that come from that. But more importantly they're a source of
industry. Cattle can be used to plow more fields, which increases agricultural output. This means a higher population, meaning higher population density, meaning more specialization. More people doesn't just mean more peasants working the land; it means more smithes and artisians, more priests, more tax collectors, more warriors, more nobles, and etc etc etc. The rise of great urbanized cities, as cultural anchor points, is one of the hallmarks of civilization. Futhermore, cattle can be used to actually construct said cities; a large ox can be used to pull heavy objects, and power basic machinery. It can be, and has been argued, that the rise of Euasian civilization is tied to the use of cattle.
Horses, while nice, is secondary to all that
