Rethinking the evidence for early horse domestication at Botai

Abstract

Despite its transformative impact on human history, the early domestication of the horse (Equus caballus) remains exceedingly difficult to trace in the archaeological record. In recent years, a scientific consensus emerged linking the Botai culture of northern Kazakhstan with the first domestication of horses, based on compelling but largely indirect archaeological evidence. A cornerstone of the archaeological case for domestication at Botai is damage to the dentition commonly linked with the use of bridle mouthpieces, or “bit wear.” Recent archaeogenetic analyses reveal, however, that horse remains from Botai are not modern domesticates but instead the Przewalski’s horse, E. przewalskii—warranting reevaluation of evidence for domestication. Here, we compare osteological traits hypothesized to have been caused by horse transport at Botai with wild Pleistocene equids in North America. Our results suggest that damage observed in Botai horse teeth is likely generated by natural disturbances in dental development and wear, rather than through contact with bridle equipment. In light of a careful reconsideration of the mid-Holocene archaeological record of northern Eurasia, we suggest that archaeological materials from Botai are most effectively explained through the regularized mass harvesting of wild Przewalski’s’ horses—meaning that the origins of horse domestication may lie elsewhere.

Emergence and intensification of dairying in the Caucasus and Eurasian steppes

“…The first undisputed evidence of horse traction dates to ca. 2000 bc at the site of Sintashta east of the Urals, where elaborate horse chariot burials have been found in Middle and Late Bronze Age kurgans 51 , 76 , 77 . Earlier Bronze Age wagons, such as those associated with the Late Maykop, Yamnaya and Catacomb cultures, had been pulled by oxen teams 50 .…”

The wild ancestors of domestic animals as a neglected and threatened component of biodiversity

“…For example, it is likely that European mouflon ( Ovis aries musimon ) descended from early domestic sheep (Barbato et al., 2017). Przewalski's horse ( Equus ferus przewalskii ), long thought to be the last undomesticated horse, was identified, based on genomic data, as an ancient feral population (Gaunitz et al., 2018), but a recent zooarchaeological study disputed this conclusion on the basis of osteological traits (Taylor & Barrón‐Ortiz, 2021). Using ancient DNA could further elucidate the origins of such populations, and it is probable that no wild‐living populations of any domesticated species are fully representative of the original undomesticated populations.…”

The ultrastructure of the tooth enamel of small Equus of the “tarpan” group and their possible phylogenetic connections

“…It is supposed that E. przewalskii is a feral form of the domesticated E. caballus derived from Botai (Levine 1999, Gaunitz et al 2018. But this opinion was recently questioned by Taylor and Barrón-Ortiz (2021), who suggest that Botai horses represent rather wild than domesticated form.…”