Were Horses Tamed Only 5,500 Years Ago?

Evidence from Kazakhstan indicates that the people known as Botai were the first to domesticate horses about 5,500 years ago. This late development is somewhat surprising since dogs, sheep, goats and pigs had been tamed much earlier as people made the transition from hunting and gathering to farming and animal husbandry.

The research team, led by Alan Outram of England’s University of Exeter, used three separate lines of research to confirm their findings. They found that the jaws of the horses found at the site showed marks on the teeth resembling those of modern horses caused by bits. Their leg bones were more slender than those of their wild cousins, indicating that people had been selectively breeding them. And analysis of the remains of ancient pots found at the site shows that at least some had once contained mare’s milk.

Domestication of the horse led to profound changes in human culture. Not only were they a source of meat and milk, but they opened new ways of transporting people and goods over longer distances. Domesticated horses made major contributions not only to farming and animal husbandry, but became valuable allies in war. Even today, especially in the regions of Kazakhstan and the Central Asian steppes, the horse remains an integral part of the local cultures.

For more about the horses of Kazakhstan go here

There is new information, however, that people living at a site known today as al-Maqar in the Arabian Peninsula may have domesticated horses around 9,000 years ago, or 4,000 years earlier than the Botai. Information is scanty so far, but the continued work at the site may be worth watching. Some information on the al-Maqar site may be found at this location.