Third International Symposium on Biomolecular Archaeology. Trail of mare’s milk leads to first tamed horses.

The research article discusses how traces of ancient mare’s milk discovered on pottery fragments dating back 5500 years may further back the evidence of horse domestication in Northern Kazakhstan. The presence of the mares’ milk suggests that horses were being tamed and used for multiple purposes, such as providing milk, rather than just being hunted for meat.

Background and Objective

• The project began with a goal to investigate the origins of horse domestication in Northern Kazakhstan. Current evidence, such as equine bones and chariots, dated it back to 2000 B.C.E.
• The purpose of the study was to shed light on the issue, which had been under debate. While some researchers believe that people began domesticating horses around 4000 B.C.E., finding clear evidence to support this had been difficult.

Methods

• A part of their methodology was reviewing the isotopic signature of mares’ milk on 5500-year-old pottery fragments.
• The shards analyzed were made by the Botai, who lived in Central Asia between 3700 and 3100 B.C.E.
• The team scrutinized lipids that permeated these ancient vessels, tracing back to the isotopes, which aided in identifying the origin of fats and determining whether they derived from meat or milk.

Findings

• Researcher Natalie Stear reportedly found the isotopic signature of mares’ milk on 5500-year-old pottery fragments from Kazakhstan.
• With this finding, it was suggested that the Botai people tamed horses for more than hunting purposes, as previously argued. They also harvested mare’s milk for consumption, a practice that continues in the region till this day.

Implications

• This discovery acts as convincing evidence of early horse domestication, as suggested by Sandra Olsen of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. The mere thought of milking a wild mare suggests a tamed relationship between the horses and the humans.
• This finding also adds to previous work done by Richard Evershed’s group at Bristol, highlighting the utility of carbon-isotope analysis to identify milk residues on ancient pottery.
• The discovery pushes back the known timeline of horse domestication and opens up additional avenues of archaeological and anthropological research for early human-animal relationships.