Horse genetics, archaeology, and the beginning of riding.

Overview

• This research challenges the notion that horse domestication began suddenly around 2200-2100 BCE based solely on specific genetic mutations.
• It presents evidence that horse management, milking, and riding started much earlier, involving multiple horse genetic lineages.

Background and Previous Understanding

• Previous studies linked horse domestication strictly to the appearance of favorable genetic mutations, particularly those seen in the DOM2 horse clade around 2200-2100 BCE.
• This genetic shift was thought to define the beginning of domestication, implying a sharp breakthrough event.

New Insights From Multiple Disciplines

• Archaeological evidence suggests horse riding and management occurred well before the DOM2 clade’s genetic mutations emerged.
• Ancient DNA analysis identifies multiple genetic lineages involved in early horse domestication, including DOM1, DOM2, and a proposed DOM3 group.
• Osteological studies (the examination of bone structures) help identify markers of horse use by humans, such as riding-induced changes.
• Other interdisciplinary evidence points to the utilization of horses for milk, ritual practices, and mobility in human societies dating back to at least the fourth and possibly fifth millennium BCE.

The Role of Yamnaya Groups and Early Horse Riding

• Yamnaya culture (circa 3200-2600 BCE) is documented to have ridden DOM2 horses, which later gave rise to modern domestic breed stock.
• These horses were integrated into Yamnaya diets and rituals, showing multi-faceted use rather than solely as beasts of burden.
• The selection of genetic traits related to endurance and temperament in horses likely began centuries before the previously assumed dates.

Revised Understanding of Domestication as a Process

• Domestication is interpreted as a long-term and regionally diverse process, not a single genetic event.
• Its transformative effects on human culture—mobility, social organization, diet, and rituals—began in the fourth or even fifth millennium BCE.
• This early and complex relationship set the foundation for the eventual dominance of DOM2 horses in domestic stocks.

Implications of the Study

• Challenges simplified models linking domestication strictly to genetic mutations appearing at a particular time.
• Encourages a multidisciplinary approach to studying domestication, combining genetics, archaeology, ancient DNA, and osteology.
• Highlights the importance of early human-horse interactions in shaping societies long before modern domestic horses emerged.
• May influence how we understand the co-evolution of humans and domesticated animals and the spread of technologies and cultures in prehistoric Eurasia.