Horse Domestication
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Four Foundation Horse Breeds
Earliest Horse Domestication in Kazakhstan
The Horse in the Americas
Horses in Lascaux & Europe
Horses in Egypt and Africa
Horses in China and Asia
Horses in Warfare
Horse Domestication
The Orgins of the Horse in North America
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Prehistoric horses living in North America went extinct 10,000 years ago. While their extinction was originally attributed to climate change, scientists now believe that over hunting by the Clovis peoples inhabiting North America played a critical role. Crushed and charred bones as well as Clovis spearheads with horse protein residue from several excavation sites throughout Canada and the United States reaffirm this conclusion.
Archaeological evidence suggests that the Botai people living in the Eurasian steppe of northern Kazakhstan were the first to domesticate horses around 3,500 BC. Evidence such as harness making tools, damage to teeth from bits, and pots with fat from mare milk support they theory that the Botai used horses for riding and milking.
The Horse Returns to America
Image: "Animal petroglyphs on Newspaper Rock near Monticello, Utah." Photograph. (n.d.). From The UNC School of Education. http://www.learnnc.org/lp/multimedia/7583. (accessed October 28, 2009).
Figure 1. Botai stallion's lower second premolar, displaying a clear band of bit wear that penetrates through the cementum and enamel, suggesting domestication. Source: Outram, Alan K., et. al.
Image: Outram, Alan K., et. al. "The earliest horse harnessing and milking." Science, 323, no. 5919 (2009): 1332-1335. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/323/5919/1332
Horses were reintroduced to the America's during the 16th century Age of Exploration by the Spanish as the picture demonstrates. Native peoples living in the America's quickly adopted the horse into their cultures, such as the Mapuche of Chile who used horses in agriculture and for transportation. A primary depcition of the reintegraition of horses into Native American culture is the petroglyphs in the image to the right. Discovered in Utah, they are believed to have been carved about 2,000 years ago.
Arabian
Przewalski Horse
Lascaux
Image Source: Alonso de Ovalle, Engraving of Ruiz de Gamboa, Bravo de Saravia and Alonso de Sotomayor, 1646 AD, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gamboa,_Sarvia_y_sotomayor.JPG.
The Arabian is one of the oldest horse breeds whose domesticated origins have been traced back to deserts of Asia and the Middle East around 3000 BC. The Arabian is known for its speed and endurance and ablity to survive in harsh desert conditions. It's distinctive characteristics are its small, concave head, broad chest, and hard limbs.
The Przewalski horse is the last wild species of horse which emerged in Eurasia during the last Ice Age. The horse is now found in Mongolia where breeding efforts are in place to save this ancient horse from extinction. Its small, stocky frame, pale coat, and erect mane are its distinctive characteristics.
The cave paintings found in Lascaux, France (see below), created around 14,000 BC., exemplify early horse human interaction. While they did not domesticate them, the Magdelinian people responsible for these paintings (as well as the carved bone pictured) hunted horses and created artistic depictions of them for religious purposes.
Image: "The Arab Horse". Photograph. (n.d.). From The World of Horses. http://prezi.com/k_myag_s2nlw/edit/#138. (accessed October 28, 2009).
Image: Cohen, Jessie, photographer. "[Przewalksi Horse]". Photograph (n.d.). From The Smithsonian Instiution National Museam of Natural History. http://www.mnh.si.edu/mammals/pages/where/eurasia/horse_info.htm. (accessed October 28, 2009)
Image Source: Decorated Magdalenian Bone, Bone, 11, 000 BC, http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database/search_object_details.aspx?objectid=1522471&partid=1&searchText=horses&fromDate=100000&fromADBC=bc&toDate=1000&toADBC=bc&numpages=10&orig=%2fresearch%2fsearch_the_collection_databaase.aspx¤tPage=1.
Warmblood
Draft Horses
Europe
By 2500 BC, horse domestication had spread from the Middle East to Europe, possibly through trade routes. Here, horses were used for riding and pulling carts. Eventually, the horse became synonymous with luxury goods as the elite used them in burials and important ceremonies.
The Draft Horse originated in Northern Europe. Their bodies have adapted to colder climates, as their stocky frame works to conserve heat. Their thick bodies also made them perfectly suited for human labor and were quickly adopted to human uses. Decsendants of the original Draft horse exist today, as in the Shetland pony breed.
The Warmblood is native to central Europe. They evolved alongside human predation and a landscape which changed from a grassland to a primarily wooded area. As their physique adapted to their new environment, Europeans took advantage of their new physical attributes and began domestication.
Image: "Detail of a Lascaux Cave Painting." Note: Copyright “TangledWing." Photgraph (n.d.) From wordpress.com. http://tangledwing.wordpress.com/2009/04/13/lake-murphysboro-state-park-wallpaper-fake-feathers-may-help-make-planes-more-efficient/ (Accessed October 28, 2009).
Image: "Shetland Pony." Photograph. (n.d.). From The World of Horses. http://www.worldofhorses.co.uk/horses_usa/breeds/horse_breed_Shetland_Pony.htm (Accessed October 28, 2009).
Image: "Black Forest Horse." Photograph. (n.d.) From Black Forest Stables. http://www.blackforesthorse.com/history.html. (Accessed October 28, 2009).
Saharan Africa
Nomadic cultures in Saharan Africa used domesticated horses by 2000 BC. However, dessication of the Sahara region and a declining population decreased the utility of the horse in an environment which was more suited to camels. These changes impeded the spread of the horse throughout the rest of Africa.
Egypt
Chariot
This image of an Egyptian whip handle, dated to 1390 BC, emphasizes the cultural importance of horses in Egypt. While horses were only introduced to Egypt during the period of Hyskos invasions, their importance in ancient Egyptian culture is obvious. From decorative and expensive whip handles like this, to paintings of horses in tombs, the horse was a respected part of Egyptian culture.
One of the first important uses for the horse in a military sense followed the development of the horse-drawn chariot. This form of chariot, and its revolutionary abilities, gave it the equivalent status of the development of tanks in military history, and helps explain the rapid spread of horses across most Eurasia and North Africa. The Sumerians first record the use of horse-drawn chariots in 2300 B.C., and by 1700 B.C., the chariot had become lighter, and therefore, more efficient in battle. From Sumeria, the chariot spread throughout most of the Eurasian landmass as well as around the Mediterranean. This image detailed on a piece of Sumerian pottery shows the role of horses to pull chariots around 2300 B.C..
The Yangshao settlement is one of the earliest civilizations in China and a site of horse domestication and breeding. Archaeologists have found horse bones dating to 800 BC. As the civilization developed, interactions with the Mongol and Manchu cultures necessitated the use of horses in the military. The use of horses for military purposes not only transformed warfare techniques, but deeply embedded the horse in Chinese culture.
Image: "Whip Handle in the Shape of a Horse- Egyptian, Ivory, 1390 BC". Photograph. (n.d.). From the Metropolitan Museam of Art. http://www.metmuseum.org/works_of_art/collection_database/egyptian_art/whip_handle_in_the_shape_of_a_horse/objectview.aspx?collID=10&OID=100001219.
Image: "Pottery detail of Sumerian Ceramics." Photograph. (n.d.). From Bryant, Victor. “The Origins of the Potter's Wheel” From Ceramics Today. http://www.ceramicstoday.com/articles/potters_wheel.htm (Accessed October 28, 2009).
Image: "Mongol Archer. Photograph. (n.d.). from The University at North Carolina Pembroke Lecture Notes: Asian, African and American Civilizations Before 1500. http://www.uncp.edu/home/rwb/lecture_nonwest_world.htm
Stirrup