Were there “Purebred” Horses in the Scythian Period?

This paper presents the results of a comparative analysis of horses from Scythian-period archaeological sites based on their morphological features. Horses from sites in the Northern Black Sea region, the North Caucasus, and Altai are similar in withers height and in the relative gracility of the metacarpal bone, indicating morphological homogeneity. Scythian horses were generally medium or below-medium in height. The absolute size and relative proportions of their metacarpal bones are closer to those of native horse breeds than to modern purebred lines. All examined traits show continuous variation, with no distinct size groups. Thus, the largest horses represent individuals at the upper end of the normal range rather than a separate breed group. We conclude that there is no evidence for targeted selection of horses for external traits during the Scythian period.

Altai · horse morphology · Metacarpal bones · North Caucasus · Northern Black Sea region · purebred horses · Scythian period · withers height · Ancient and Medieval Archaeology Studies · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Veterinary Equine Medical Research