Widespread horse-based mobility arose around 2200 bce in Eurasia

Pablo Librado (), Gaetan Tressières, Lorelei Chauvey, Antoine Fages, Naveed Khan, Stéphanie Schiavinato, Laure Calvière-Tonasso, Mariya A. Kusliy, Charleen Gaunitz, Xuexue Liu, Stefanie Wagner, Clio Sarkissian, Andaine Seguin-Orlando, Aude Perdereau, Jean-Marc Aury, John Southon, Beth Shapiro, Olivier Bouchez, Cécile Donnadieu, Yvette Running Horse Collin, Kristian M. Gregersen, Mads Dengsø Jessen, Kirsten Christensen, Lone Claudi-Hansen, Mélanie Pruvost, Erich Pucher, Hrvoje Vulic, Mario Novak, Andrea Rimpf, Peter Turk, Simone Reiter, Gottfried Brem, Christoph Schwall, Éric Barrey, Céline Robert, Christophe Degueurce, Liora Kolska Horwitz, Lutz Klassen, Uffe Rasmussen, Jacob Kveiborg, Niels Nørkjær Johannsen, Daniel Makowiecki, Przemysław Makarowicz, Marcin Szeliga, Vasyl Ilchyshyn, Vitalii Rud, Jan Romaniszyn, Victoria E. Mullin, Marta Verdugo, Daniel G. Bradley, João L. Cardoso, Maria J. Valente, Miguel Telles Antunes, Carly Ameen, Richard Thomas, Arne Ludwig, Matilde Marzullo, Ornella Prato, Giovanna Bagnasco Gianni, Umberto Tecchiati, José Granado, Angela Schlumbaum, Sabine Deschler-Erb, Monika Schernig Mráz, Nicolas Boulbes, Armelle Gardeisen, Christian Mayer, Hans-Jürgen Döhle, Magdolna Vicze, Pavel A. Kosintsev, René Kyselý, Lubomír Peške, Terry O’Connor, Elina Ananyevskaya, Irina Shevnina, Andrey Logvin, Alexey A. Kovalev, Tumur-Ochir Iderkhangai, Mikhail V. Sablin, Petr K. Dashkovskiy, Alexander S. Graphodatsky, Ilia Merts, Viktor Merts, Aleksei K. Kasparov, Vladimir V. Pitulko, Vedat Onar, Aliye Öztan, Benjamin S. Arbuckle, Hugh McColl, Gabriel Renaud, Ruslan Khaskhanov, Sergey Demidenko, Anna Kadieva, Biyaslan Atabiev, Marie Sundqvist, Gabriella Lindgren, F. Javier López-Cachero, Silvia Albizuri, Tajana Trbojević Vukičević, Anita Rapan Papeša, Marcel Burić, Petra Rajić Šikanjić, Jaco Weinstock, David Asensio Vilaró, Ferran Codina, Cristina García Dalmau, Jordi Morer de Llorens, Josep Pou, Gabriel Prado, Joan Sanmartí, Nabil Kallala, Joan Ramon Torres, Bouthéina Maraoui-Telmini, Maria-Carme Belarte Franco, Silvia Valenzuela-Lamas, Antoine Zazzo, Sébastien Lepetz, Sylvie Duchesne, Anatoly Alexeev, Jamsranjav Bayarsaikhan, Jean-Luc Houle, Noost Bayarkhuu, Tsagaan Turbat, Éric Crubézy, Irina Shingiray, Marjan Mashkour, Natalia Ya. Berezina, Dmitriy S. Korobov, Andrey Belinskiy, Alexey Kalmykov, Jean-Paul Demoule, Sabine Reinhold, Svend Hansen, Barbara Wallner, Natalia Roslyakova, Pavel F. Kuznetsov, Alexey A. Tishkin, Patrick Wincker, Katherine Kanne, Alan Outram and Ludovic Orlando ()
Additional contact information
Pablo Librado: Faculté de Médecine Purpan
Gaetan Tressières: Faculté de Médecine Purpan
Lorelei Chauvey: Faculté de Médecine Purpan
Antoine Fages: Faculté de Médecine Purpan
Naveed Khan: Faculté de Médecine Purpan
Stéphanie Schiavinato: Faculté de Médecine Purpan
Laure Calvière-Tonasso: Faculté de Médecine Purpan
Mariya A. Kusliy: Faculté de Médecine Purpan
Charleen Gaunitz: Faculté de Médecine Purpan
Xuexue Liu: Faculté de Médecine Purpan
Stefanie Wagner: Faculté de Médecine Purpan
Clio Sarkissian: Faculté de Médecine Purpan
Andaine Seguin-Orlando: Faculté de Médecine Purpan
Aude Perdereau: Université Paris-Saclay
Jean-Marc Aury: Université Paris-Saclay
John Southon: University of California
Beth Shapiro: University of California Santa Cruz
Olivier Bouchez: Genotoul
Cécile Donnadieu: Genotoul
Yvette Running Horse Collin: Faculté de Médecine Purpan
Kristian M. Gregersen: Institute of Conservation
Mads Dengsø Jessen: National Museum of Denmark
Kirsten Christensen: Museum Vestsjælland
Lone Claudi-Hansen: Museum Vestsjælland
Mélanie Pruvost: Université de Bordeaux
Erich Pucher: Museum of Natural History
Hrvoje Vulic: Vinkovci Municipal Museum
Mario Novak: Institute for Anthropological Research
Andrea Rimpf: Ilok Town Museum
Peter Turk: Narodni muzej Slovenije
Simone Reiter: University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna
Gottfried Brem: University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna
Christoph Schwall: Leibniz-Zentrum für Archäologie (LEIZA)
Éric Barrey: Université Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, INRAE GABI UMR1313
Céline Robert: Université Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, INRAE GABI UMR1313
Christophe Degueurce: Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort
Liora Kolska Horwitz: The Hebrew University
Lutz Klassen: Museum Østjylland
Uffe Rasmussen: Moesgaard Museum
Jacob Kveiborg: Moesgaard Museum
Niels Nørkjær Johannsen: Aarhus University
Daniel Makowiecki: Nicolaus Copernicus University
Przemysław Makarowicz: Adam Mickiewicz University
Marcin Szeliga: Maria Curie-Skłodowska University
Vasyl Ilchyshyn: Kremenetsko-Pochaivskii Derzhavnyi Istoriko-arkhitekturnyi Zapovidnik
Vitalii Rud: National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
Jan Romaniszyn: Adam Mickiewicz University
Victoria E. Mullin: Trinity College Dublin
Marta Verdugo: Trinity College Dublin
Daniel G. Bradley: Trinity College Dublin
João L. Cardoso: University of Algarve
Maria J. Valente: Universidade do Algarve
Miguel Telles Antunes: Universidade Nova de Lisboa
Carly Ameen: University of Exeter
Richard Thomas: University of Leicester
Arne Ludwig: Leibniz-Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research
Matilde Marzullo: Università degli Studi di Milano
Ornella Prato: Università degli Studi di Milano
Giovanna Bagnasco Gianni: Università degli Studi di Milano
Umberto Tecchiati: Università degli Studi di Milano
José Granado: Basel University
Angela Schlumbaum: Basel University
Sabine Deschler-Erb: Basel University
Monika Schernig Mráz: Basel University
Nicolas Boulbes: MNHN-CNRS-UPVD/EPCC Centre Européen de Recherche Préhistorique
Armelle Gardeisen: Université Paul Valéry
Christian Mayer: Federal Monuments Authority Austria
Hans-Jürgen Döhle: Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologie Sachsen-Anhalt – Landesmuseum für Vorgeschichte
Magdolna Vicze: Hungarian National Museum
Pavel A. Kosintsev: Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
René Kyselý: Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences
Lubomír Peške: Independent researcher
Terry O’Connor: University of York
Elina Ananyevskaya: Vilnius University
Irina Shevnina: Akhmet Baitursynuly Kostanay Regional University
Andrey Logvin: Akhmet Baitursynuly Kostanay Regional University
Alexey A. Kovalev: Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Tumur-Ochir Iderkhangai: National University of Mongolia
Mikhail V. Sablin: Russian Academy of Sciences
Petr K. Dashkovskiy: Altai State University
Alexander S. Graphodatsky: Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology
Ilia Merts: Joint Research Center for Archeological Studies
Viktor Merts: Joint Research Center for Archeological Studies
Aleksei K. Kasparov: Russian Academy of Sciences
Vladimir V. Pitulko: Russian Academy of Sciences
Vedat Onar: Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa
Aliye Öztan: Ankara University
Benjamin S. Arbuckle: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Hugh McColl: University of Copenhagen
Gabriel Renaud: Faculté de Médecine Purpan
Ruslan Khaskhanov: Kh. Ibragimov Complex Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (CI RAS)
Sergey Demidenko: Russian Academy of Sciences
Anna Kadieva: State Historical Museum
Biyaslan Atabiev: Institute for Caucasus Archaeology
Marie Sundqvist: Östra Greda Research Group
Gabriella Lindgren: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
F. Javier López-Cachero: Universitat de Barcelona (UB)
Silvia Albizuri: Universitat de Barcelona (UB)
Tajana Trbojević Vukičević: University of Zagreb
Anita Rapan Papeša: Vinkovci Municipal Museum
Marcel Burić: University of Zagreb
Petra Rajić Šikanjić: Institute for Anthropological Research
Jaco Weinstock: University of Southampton
David Asensio Vilaró: IAUB Institut d’Arqueologia de la Universitat de Barcelona
Ferran Codina: Norfeu, Arqueologia Art i Patrimoni S.C.
Cristina García Dalmau: Espace d’activités de la Barthe
Jordi Morer de Llorens: Mon IberRocs SCL
Josep Pou: Ajuntament de Calafell
Gabriel Prado: Museu d’Arqueologia de Catalunya (MAC-Ullastret)
Joan Sanmartí: IEC-Institut d’Estudis Catalans (Union Académique Internationale)
Nabil Kallala: Ecole Tunisienne d’Histoire et d’Anthropologie
Joan Ramon Torres: Consell Insular d’Eivissa
Bouthéina Maraoui-Telmini: Institut National du Patrimoine
Maria-Carme Belarte Franco: IEC-Institut d’Estudis Catalans (Union Académique Internationale)
Silvia Valenzuela-Lamas: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IMF-CSIC)
Antoine Zazzo: CP 56
Sébastien Lepetz: CP 56
Sylvie Duchesne: Faculté de Médecine Purpan
Anatoly Alexeev: Institute for Humanities Research and Indigenous Studies of the North (IHRISN)
Jamsranjav Bayarsaikhan: Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology
Jean-Luc Houle: Western Kentucky University
Noost Bayarkhuu: National University of Mongolia
Tsagaan Turbat: National University of Mongolia
Éric Crubézy: Faculté de Médecine Purpan
Irina Shingiray: University of Oxford
Marjan Mashkour: CP 56
Natalia Ya. Berezina: Lomonosov Moscow State University
Dmitriy S. Korobov: Russian Academy of Sciences
Andrey Belinskiy: Nasledie Cultural Heritage Unit
Alexey Kalmykov: Nasledie Cultural Heritage Unit
Jean-Paul Demoule: Institut d’Art et Archéologie
Sabine Reinhold: Eurasia Department of the German Archaeological Institute
Svend Hansen: Eurasia Department of the German Archaeological Institute
Barbara Wallner: University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna
Natalia Roslyakova: Samara State University of Social Sciences and Education
Pavel F. Kuznetsov: Samara State University of Social Sciences and Education
Alexey A. Tishkin: Altai State University
Patrick Wincker: Université Paris-Saclay
Katherine Kanne: University of Exeter
Alan Outram: University of Exeter
Ludovic Orlando: Faculté de Médecine Purpan

Nature, 2024, vol. 631, issue 8022, 819-825

Abstract: Abstract Horses revolutionized human history with fast mobility1. However, the timeline between their domestication and their widespread integration as a means of transport remains contentious2–4. Here we assemble a collection of 475 ancient horse genomes to assess the period when these animals were first reshaped by human agency in Eurasia. We find that reproductive control of the modern domestic lineage emerged around 2200 bce, through close-kin mating and shortened generation times. Reproductive control emerged following a severe domestication bottleneck starting no earlier than approximately 2700 bce, and coincided with a sudden expansion across Eurasia that ultimately resulted in the replacement of nearly every local horse lineage. This expansion marked the rise of widespread horse-based mobility in human history, which refutes the commonly held narrative of large horse herds accompanying the massive migration of steppe peoples across Europe around 3000 bce and earlier3,5. Finally, we detect significantly shortened generation times at Botai around 3500 bce, a settlement from central Asia associated with corrals and a subsistence economy centred on horses6,7. This supports local horse husbandry before the rise of modern domestic bloodlines.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07597-5

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