Paleogenetics Solves the Mystery of the Modern Horse

The origins of the first domesticated horses have long been a mystery in the world of archaeology and history. Horses are a fundamental part of history, as their domestication revolutionized mobility and warfare. With horses, cultures could flourish as they traveled between societies and opened long-range trade routes.

However, a team of paleogeneticists and archaeologists recently uncovered the origins of horse domestication after gathering horse remains from Iberia, Anatolia, Western Eurasia, and Central Asia. According to the study led by the Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse, horses were first domesticated in 2200 B.C.E. in modern-day Russia. This species spread across Europe and Asia, becoming the predominant domesticated horse species. Eventually, these horses evolved into the breeds of today.

The discovery of this horse species could provide archaeologists with key insight into ancient cultural encounters and the migratory routes of our ancestors.

Searching For Modern Day Horses

To solve the mystery, researchers expanded their search for ancient horse remains to regions suspected of being centers of domestication. The study included Eurasia, which was where archeologists made a significant discovery. Genetic analysis revealed that the lineage of modern domestic horses originated in the Western Eurasian steppes, particularly the lower Volga-Don region, and subsequently spread into Europe and Asia.

Pinpointing the exact time and geographic beginnings of horse domestication was no easy task for researchers. Previous research indicated that the domestication of horses began in modern-day central Asia in 3500 B.C.E. However, after comparing the genetic makeup of the Asian remains and those of modern-day horses, paleogeneticists realized these remains were not a match. The genes found in the Asian remains had all but died out in today’s domesticated horse breeds. This indicated that the ancestors of modern domestic horses must have been domesticated elsewhere, leading to the discovery that the modern lineage originated in the Western Eurasian steppes.

Researchers were also able to map population changes that accompanied domestication using 273 ancient horse genomes. This demonstrated that modern domestic horses eventually replaced nearly all local populations as they spread across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East through human migration and trade routes. By 1500 B.C.E., the Western Eurasian horse species had replaced the other horses as the primary domesticated horse.

This was during the Late Bronze Age, when humans began to train horses for work and travel via wheeled chariots. These horses are believed to have had more docile temperaments and stronger backs compared to the local Asian varieties. Both work and travel favored horses with calmer temperaments and greater strength. Wild horses were not suited to these activities and did not perform as well as the Western Eurasian breed.

The Role of Horses in Historical Research

By understanding when and where horses were first domesticated, archeologists can piece together the movements of early human societies. Tracking horse remains and analyzing their genetic differences and similarities also allows researchers to trace human expansion. In addition, the study of horse domestication can also provide key insight into trading habits and warfare.

This new information provides incentive for further research into animal development throughout history. The domestication of horses and their spread across the continent is just one example of how animal studies can help historians reconstruct cross-cultural encounters from thousands of years ago.