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FW: [RC] [Consider This] Horses were tamed a millennium earlier than previously thought - Mike SherrellThe article in the Times made an unfortunate mistake: the book "The Horse, The Wheel and Language" by David Anthony that it referred to had in fact also concluded that the Botai culture began riding horses in 3700-3500 BC, so that the evidence reported by the Times article simply confirmed Anthony's views. Anthony and his wife, who was or maybe still is a horsewoman, Dorcas Brown, were the ones who figured out that bits, even rawhide bits, made characteristic wear on certain teeth because horses tend to play with the bit with their tongue, rolling it back until it hits those particular teeth. The sequence went like this: on the steppes hunter-gatherers hunted horses for food. Then herders with cattle and sheep showed up on the edge of the steppes. The steppe hunters learned herding cattle and sheep from them, but didn't have very large herds, as cattle don't do all that well in snow. They then figured out that they could herd horses as easily, and they'd been eating them anyway. From there the next step was riding. The percentage of ridden horses to herded horses in the Kazakh Botai culture was small, like 3% -- the first horse riders rode in order to more easily herd horses to eat. Regards, Mike Sherrell Grizzly Analytical (USA) www.grizzlyanalytical.com 707 887 2919; fax = 707 887 9834 -----Original Message----- From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Sisu West Ranch Sent: Friday, March 06, 2009 7:46 PM To: Camp Ride Subject: Re: [RC] [Consider This] Horses were tamed a millennium earlier than previously thought I shall be waiting for an article on this in my favorite magazine, Scientific American. They have published good articles on this subject before. If it holds up, it is indeed important news. I don't buy the slender leg bone argument, but proper evidence of bit marks on teeth is indeed telling. I sometimes amuse myself by thinking about how neat it must have been to be in the first tribe that knew how to ride! Running like the wind, you must have felt like you owned the world, not to mention being able to steal whatever you wanted from those who could only walk*. Ed *The possible origin of the Greek legends about Centaurs. Ed & Wendy Hauser 2994 Mittower Road Victor, MT 59875 (406) 381-5527 ranch(at)sisuwest(dot)us =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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