The Earliest Horse Harnessing and Milking
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Carnegie Museum of Natural History · +6 more institutions
Abstract
Horse domestication revolutionized transport, communications, and warfare in prehistory, yet the identification of early domestication processes has been problematic. Here, we present three independent lines of evidence demonstrating domestication in the Eneolithic Botai Culture of Kazakhstan, dating to about 3500 B.C.E. Metrical analysis of horse metacarpals shows that Botai horses resemble Bronze Age domestic horses rather than Paleolithic wild horses from the same region. Pathological characteristics indicate that some Botai horses were bridled, perhaps ridden. Organic residue analysis, using delta13C and deltaD values of fatty acids, reveals processing of mare's milk and carcass products in ceramics,…
Citation impact
- FWCI
- 47.02
- Percentile
- 100%
- References
- 12
Authors
8- AKAlan K. OutramCorresponding
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, University of Exeter, University of Bristol, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Institute of History of Material Culture
- NANatalie A. Stear
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, University of Exeter, University of Bristol, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Institute of History of Material Culture
- RBRobin Bendrey
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, University of Winchester, University of Exeter, University of Bristol, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Institute of History of Material Culture
- SLSandra L. Olsen
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, University of Exeter, University of Bristol, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Institute of History of Material Culture
- AKAlexei Kasparov
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, University of Exeter, University of Bristol, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Institute of History of Material Culture
Topics & keywords
- Domestication
- Prehistory
- Horse
- Chalcolithic
- Milking
- Geography
- Archaeology
- Bronze Age