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Home / Equine Research Bank / Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A / Early evidence for mounted horseback riding in northwest Chi...
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America2020; 117(47); 29569-29576; doi: 10.1073/pnas.2004360117

Early evidence for mounted horseback riding in northwest China.

Abstract: Horseback riding was a transformative force in the ancient world, prompting radical shifts in human mobility, warfare, trade, and interaction. In China, domestic horses laid the foundation for trade, communication, and state infrastructure along the ancient Silk Road, while also stimulating key military, social, and political changes in Chinese society. Nonetheless, the emergence and adoption of mounted horseback riding in China is still poorly understood, particularly due to a lack of direct archaeological data. Here we present a detailed osteological study of eight horse skeletons dated to ca. 350 BCE from the sites of Shirenzigou and Xigou in Xinjiang, northwest China, prior to the formalization of Silk Road trade across this key region. Our analyses reveal characteristic osteological changes associated with equestrian practices on all specimens. Alongside other relevant archaeological evidence, these data provide direct evidence for mounted horseback riding, horse equipment, and mounted archery in northwest China by the late first millennium BCE. Most importantly, our results suggest that this region may have played a crucial role in the spread of equestrian technologies from the Eurasian interior to the settled civilizations of early China, where horses facilitated the rise of the first united Chinese empires and the emergence of transcontinental trade networks.
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Publication Date: 2020-11-02 PubMed ID: 33139545PubMed Central: PMC7703595DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2004360117Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't

Summary

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This research reveals archaeological evidence suggesting that horseback riding in northwest China could have begun as early as 350 BCE based on the study of eight horse skeletons. It implicates that this region may have been vital in the spread of equestrian technologies that shaped early Chinese civilization and initiated transcontinental trade networks.

Context and Importance of the Study

  • The practice of horseback riding was a transformative force in ancient times that significantly impacted human mobility, war tactics, trade and general human interaction.
  • In China, the domestication of horses spurred trade, communication and state infrastructure along the historic Silk Road, as well as influenced pivotal military, societal and political evolutions in Chinese society.
  • The timeline and adoption of horseback riding in China have been unclear due to limited direct archaeological evidence.
  • This research, therefore, provides crucial insights on this topic in Chinese history and the role of this region in the global dissemination of equestrian technologies.

Study Design and Findings

  • The researchers performed an in-depth osteological study on eight horse skeletons, dating back to roughly 350 BCE, found at the archaeological sites of Shirenzigou and Xigou in Xinjiang, northwest China.
  • These sites are significant because they existed before the formalization of Silk Road trade across this crucial region.
  • The scientists noted that all the skeletons showed characteristic bone changes linked with equestrian practices.
  • This osteological evidence, along with other relevant archaeological finds, indicates that mounted horseback riding, horse equipment, and mounted archery existed in northwest China by the late first millennium BCE.

Implications of the Study

  • The study suggests that northwest China could potentially have been a critical region in the spread of equestrian technologies from the Eurasian interior to early settled civilizations in China.
  • The introduction and development of these technologies, likely, facilitated the rise of the first unified Chinese empires and the establishment of transcontinental trade networks.

Cite This Article

APA
Li Y, Zhang C, Taylor WTT, Chen L, Flad RK, Boivin N, Liu H, You Y, Wang J, Ren M, Xi T, Han Y, Wen R, Ma J. (2020). Early evidence for mounted horseback riding in northwest China. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 117(47), 29569-29576. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2004360117

Publication

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
ISSN: 1091-6490
NlmUniqueID: 7505876
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 117
Issue: 47
Pages: 29569-29576

Researcher Affiliations

Li, Yue
  • School of Cultural Heritage, Northwest University, 710069 Xi'an, China.
  • Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cultural Heritage Studies and Conservation, Northwest University, 710069 Xi'an, China.
Zhang, Chengrui
  • Department of Anthropology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138.
Taylor, William Timothy Treal
  • Museum of Natural History, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309.
  • Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, 07745 Jena, Germany.
Chen, Liang
  • School of Cultural Heritage, Northwest University, 710069 Xi'an, China.
  • Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cultural Heritage Studies and Conservation, Northwest University, 710069 Xi'an, China.
Flad, Rowan K
  • Department of Anthropology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138.
Boivin, Nicole
  • Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, 07745 Jena, Germany.
Liu, Huan
  • School of Resource, Environment, and Historical Culture, Xianyang Normal University, 712000 Xianyang, China.
You, Yue
  • School of History, Capital Normal University, 100048 Beijing, China.
Wang, Jianxin
  • School of Cultural Heritage, Northwest University, 710069 Xi'an, China.
  • Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cultural Heritage Studies and Conservation, Northwest University, 710069 Xi'an, China.
Ren, Meng
  • School of Cultural Heritage, Northwest University, 710069 Xi'an, China.
  • Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cultural Heritage Studies and Conservation, Northwest University, 710069 Xi'an, China.
Xi, Tongyuan
  • School of Cultural Heritage, Northwest University, 710069 Xi'an, China.
  • Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cultural Heritage Studies and Conservation, Northwest University, 710069 Xi'an, China.
Han, Yifu
  • School of Cultural Heritage, Northwest University, 710069 Xi'an, China.
  • Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cultural Heritage Studies and Conservation, Northwest University, 710069 Xi'an, China.
Wen, Rui
  • School of Cultural Heritage, Northwest University, 710069 Xi'an, China.
  • Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cultural Heritage Studies and Conservation, Northwest University, 710069 Xi'an, China.
Ma, Jian
  • School of Cultural Heritage, Northwest University, 710069 Xi'an, China; eurasiansteppes@126.com.
  • Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cultural Heritage Studies and Conservation, Northwest University, 710069 Xi'an, China.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Archaeology / methods
  • China
  • Horses / physiology
  • Skeleton / physiology
  • Sports / physiology

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no competing interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 10 times.
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