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Early evidence for mounted horseback riding in northwest China.

Authors :
Yue Li
Chengrui Zhang
Taylor, William Timothy Treal
Liang Chen
Flad, Rowan K.
Boivin, Nicole
Huan Liu
Yue You
Jianxin Wang
Meng Ren
Tongyuan Xi
Yifu Han
Rui Wen
Jian Ma
Source :
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America; 11/24/2020, Vol. 117 Issue 47, p29569-29576, 8p
Publication Year :
2020

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
00278424
Volume :
117
Issue :
47
Database :
Complementary Index
Journal :
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
147308900
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2004360117