DOMESTICATED HORSES IN ANCIENT CHINA:ORIGINS,DISSEMINATION,AND EARLY USES
This paper analyzes the origins and spread of domesticated horses in Eurasia,focusing on Zhou dynasty sacrificial horse burials in the Central Plains and Sayan-Altai from a zooarchaeological view.It posits that the Botai site in Kazakhstan is likely the earliest domestication site,with evidence stronger than Ukraine's Dereivka site.Domesticated horses spread from the Yamnaya culture's ancestors,appearing in the Gansu-Qinghai region around 4000-3600 years ago and in the Central Plains Yinxu site during the late Shang period.Horses were used for chariots in the Central Plains and riding in Sayan-Altai,with their burials indicating the owner's status.Zooarchaeological data shows that 51.3％of sacrificial horses in the Central Plains were young[≤5 years),21.8％were young adults(5-8 years),while in Sayan-Altai,73.9％were adults(8-16 years),and 21.7％were older[≥16 years),highlighting different regional horse management practices.
万方数据
维普
