Horses skeletons at Botai Culture sites have gracile metacarpals. The horses' metacarpals-the shins or cannon bones-are used as key indicators of domesticity. For whatever reason (and I won't speculate here), shins on domestic horses are thinner-more gracile-than those of wild horses. Outram et al. describe the shinbones from Botai as being closer in size and shape to those of Bronze age (fully domesticated) horses compared to wild horses.
Fatty lipids of horse milk were found inside of pots. Although today it seems a bit weird to westerners, horses were kept for both their meat and milk in the past-and still are in the Kazakh region as you can see from the photograph above. Evidence of horse milk was found at Botai in the form of fatty lipid residues on the insides of ceramic vessels.
Bit wear is in evidence on horse teeth. Finally, researchers noted bitting wear on horses' teeth-a vertical strip of wear on the outside of horses' premolars, where the metal bit damages the enamel when it sits between the cheek and tooth.
Fatty lipids of horse milk were found inside of pots. Although today it seems a bit weird to westerners, horses were kept for both their meat and milk in the past-and still are in the Kazakh region as you can see from the photograph above. Evidence of horse milk was found at Botai in the form of fatty lipid residues on the insides of ceramic vessels.
Bit wear is in evidence on horse teeth. Finally, researchers noted bitting wear on horses' teeth-a vertical strip of wear on the outside of horses' premolars, where the metal bit damages the enamel when it sits between the cheek and tooth.
No comments:
Post a Comment