The Activities of Domestic Horses in the Yin Dynasty and the Late Shang Wars
The Chinese domestic horses were introduced from West Asia and Central Asia.During the Late Shang period,the Yin domestic horses were likely already indigenous breeds,either the Northwestern horses or the Northern Mongolian horses.From the perspective of human-horse power relations,the Yin domestic horses were bred and raised through a combination of confinement and free-range methods.Humans utilized various training techniques to domesticate and habituate them for riding,adapting them to the climate of the Yin terri-tory.The primary reason for the Yin people's emphasis on horses was their suitability for various socio-econom-ic activities.In Late Shang warfare,the Yin domestic horses were employed primarily for charioteering and cavalry tactics.The Yin people developed hierarchical and specialized interpersonal networks for the breeding,management,and utilization of horses.The competition for horse resources was closely linked to the rise and fall of Late Shang ethnic groups and political powers.These dynamics underscore the correlation between hu-man reliance on domestic horses and their effective cooperation in warfare techniques'during the era of cold weapons.
NETL
NSTL
万方数据
