Our ancestors rode horses as early as 3,000BC: Researchers discover Bronze Age skeletons with 'horse

Our ancestors rode horses as early as 3,000BC: Researchers discover Bronze Age skeletons with 'horsemanship syndrome' in eastern Europe

By XANTHA LEATHAM DEPUTY SCIENCE EDITOR FOR THE DAILY MAIL

PUBLISHED: 20:27 EST, 3 March 2023 | UPDATED: 20:34 EST, 3 March 2023

For some, the idea of mounting a horse is terrifying. So spare a thought for our ancestors who, around 5,000 years ago, were the first to get astride.

Researchers say they have identified the oldest riders by looking for small changes in the skeletal structure of ancient human remains. The team, from the University of Helsinki and Hartwick College in New York, analysed more than 200 Yamnaya individuals who dated as far back as 3000BC – the start of the Bronze Age.

This group, initially from the area around Ukraine and western Russia, spread out across Europe and were thought to be so successful due to the recent domestication of horses.

This allowed for carts full of food, weapons and other provisions to be transported long distances, as well as livestock to be herded more effectively. But now, experts have been able to pinpoint the earliest evidence of individuals actually getting on-board their stallions.

The team identified five individuals who had the most ‘reliable’ evidence of being riders. Their skeletal remains had been unearthed from kurgans – prehistoric burial mounds – in Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary.

More:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-11818877/Researchers-discover-Bronze-Age-skeletons-horsemanship-syndrome-eastern-Europe.html