Early Equestrians

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A new archaeological study on skeletal remains in eastern Europe found evidence that humans began riding horses some 5,000 years ago, Science News reported.

Early humans began domesticating horses for their meat and milk around 3500 BCE, while the oldest known depictions of horseback riding date about 2000 BCE.

But scientists have not been able to properly establish when equestrianism flourished because the equipment used by early riders was made of materials that decomposed and so meant very little remains were ever left.

Recently, archaeologists analyzed more than 200 human skeletons excavated from various countries including Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary. Some bones – dating between 3000 to 2500 BCE – carried distinct traits commonly found in individuals who ride horses, a condition dubbed “horsemanship syndrome.”

To determine who was a rider, the researchers assessed all the skeletons for the presence of six physical signs of the syndrome, including pelvic and femur marks that could have come from the biomechanical stress of sitting with spread legs while holding onto a horse.

Their findings showed that five male individuals showed four or more signs of horseback riding. The team explained that the remains belonged to the ancient Yamnaya people, a semi-nomadic culture that migrated extensively 5,000 years ago.

Their movement helped spread Indo-European languages and change the human gene pool in Europe and Asia.

Because they also used horses, many historians speculate that they also rode them, with the new study providing evidence that the Yamnaya were the earliest equestrians.

Even so, other researchers cautioned that findings should not be interpreted as equestrianism reaching its full bloom within the Yamnaya culture.

Rather, they were probably just experimenting with what else they could do with their equines as part of early domestication.

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