Early Iron Age horse exploitation in Thrace (Bulgaria) inferred from dental attrition and vertebral pathology.

Early Iron Age horse remains from Thrace (Bulgaria) show signs of dental wear and skeletal pathologies that suggest these horses were used extensively for labor, likely involving riding and carrying loads.

Introduction and Research Objective

• The study focuses on analyzing pathological lesions on an Early Iron Age horse skeleton to understand horse use and management practices around the 8th century BCE in the Thracian Valley of southern Bulgaria.
• The motivation stems from the rarity of well-preserved and well-documented Early Iron Age horse remains in the Balkan Peninsula.

Materials and Methods

• The remains consist of a nearly complete adult horse skeleton retrieved from a pit at an archaeological site near Chirpan, Bulgaria.
• The specimen was radiocarbon dated to the 8th century BCE, placing it firmly in the Early Iron Age period.
• Macroscopic examination of bones was conducted using standard zooarchaeological and palaeopathological methods.
• Important pathological elements were further studied using radiography and computed tomography (CT) to analyze internal bone structures and lesions.
• Osteological and dental criteria were used to estimate the horse’s age, sex, and height at the withers.

Results: Identification and Description of Lesions

• The horse was identified as an adult mare, with an estimated height of approximately 133 cm at the withers, indicating a medium-sized horse for the time.
• Dental analysis showed pronounced attrition (wear) on both upper and lower premolars, suggesting use of a bit, which is a device typically used for controlling horses during riding or driving.
• Pathological changes were observed in the thoracic vertebrae and the associated ribs, indicating degenerative alterations consistent with repeated mechanical stress or strain.
• Periosteal proliferations (bone growths) were found on the proximal phalanges (bones in the horse’s lower limbs), implying chronic stress from sustained workload such as draft activities or load bearing.

Interpretation and Significance

• The distribution and nature of the lesions strongly support the idea of prolonged and repetitive mechanical loading experienced by this horse.
• Dental wear consistent with bit use is significant because it provides direct evidence of early horse-riding or horse-driving practices in Southeastern Europe during the Early Iron Age.
• The vertebral and limb bone pathologies further indicate the horse was put to work—likely pulling loads or engaged in physically demanding labor.
• This research contributes rare palaeopathological data to understand the subsistence economy of early Thracian societies, providing insight into the role of horses beyond simple animal presence, showing functional exploitation.

Limitations

• The poor preservation state of the skull restricted detailed analysis of cranial trauma, which could have provided additional information on management or use-related injuries.
• The study acknowledges the need for further palaeopathological investigations on Early Iron Age horses to refine our understanding of horse exploitation practices in the region.

Conclusions

• This case study is among the few that show evidence of early horse exploitation practices in the Balkans.
• The combination of dental and skeletal pathologies strongly suggests that horses were already being used for riding or driving and as draft animals in the 8th century BCE Thracian societies.
• The findings improve knowledge about the early stages of horse domestication and management in southeastern Europe and highlight the importance of palaeopathological methods in archaeological animal studies.