Archaeologists from the State Office for Monument Preservation of the Stuttgart Regional Council have found the remains of more than a hundred Roman horses in the Bad Cannstatt district of the German city. The skeletons, belonging to a military cavalry unit stationed in the area in the 2nd century A.D., offer a unique insight into […]
Horses
Posted inScience, Travel
The Enigmatic Origin of the Wild Horses of the Namib Desert, the Most Isolated in the World
Among Africa’s characteristic and diverse fauna, the genus Equus—which includes zebras, donkeys, and horses—stands out for its rarity. However, the latter is not truly native, at least not in sub-Saharan Africa; it was introduced by humans at different times depending on the location. In Ethiopia, where half of the continent’s equine population is concentrated, there […]
Posted inIron Age Archaeology
18 Horses Found in an Iron Age Tomb in Siberia Reveal the Possible Origin of Scythians
A team of archaeologists has discovered evidence of funerary rituals involving sacrifices at the burial mound of Tunnug 1, located in the Republic of Tuva, southern Siberia. This finding suggests that the Scythians, primarily known for their presence in Eastern Europe, may have originated much further east than previously thought. The Scythians, a nomadic people […]
Posted inBronze Age Archaeology, Culture
Scientists Challenge the Kurgan Hypothesis: Horse Domestication Not Linked to Indo-European Language Spread
Riding a horse is a physical challenge that can be tough on the body. But can it actually change your skeleton? Archaeologists from the University of Colorado Boulder set out to explore this question and uncovered some surprising results. In a recent study, they examined evidence from medical studies of modern riders and ancient human […]
Posted inIron Age Archaeology
Surprising Burial of 28 Horses that Died in a Battle of the Gallic Wars Forgotten by History is Found
The excavation of 1.3 hectares, located on the slope of a valley in Villedieu-sur-Indre in the center of France, has revealed a site dated to the late 5th and early 6th centuries. Numerous buildings, pits, ditches, and a high medieval road have been unearthed. In addition to the medieval occupation, nine pits containing horses have […]
Posted inMedieval Archaeology
Scandinavian Horses Imported a Thousand Years Ago for the Last Equestrian Sacrifices in Europe
The study, which focused on horse remains found in ancient burial sites in Russia and Lithuania, was published in the journal Science Advances. It reveals that these horses were imported from Scandinavia through extensive trade networks connecting the Viking world with the Byzantine and Arab empires. Previously, researchers believed that sacrificial horses were always local […]
Posted inAntiquity
How China’s Han Dynasty Got the Heavenly Horses to Create its Mighty Cavalry
Days ago, in the article dedicated to Zhang Qian’s travels, we referred to a conflict that pitted China during the Han Dynasty against the Kingdom of Dayuan in Central Asia. Its inhabitants possessed a high-quality horse breed, the so-called Fergana horses, which became the object of Chinese ambition to enhance their cavalry strength and thereby […]
