In search of the 'great horse

A zooarchaeological assessment of horses from England (AD 300-1650)

Bibliographic Data

ID4724732
AuthorsCarly Ameen (0000-0002-4580-2125, Department of Archaeology University of Exeter Exeter UK, corresponding author), Helene Benkert (0000-0002-2426-3863, Department of Archaeology University of Exeter Exeter UK), Tamsyn Fraser (0000-0002-4509-0244, Department of Archaeology University of Sheffield Sheffield UK), Rebecca Gordon (0000-0002-2251-4198, Brereton Road Bedford UK), Matilda Holmes (0000-0002-1704-5024, School of Archaeology and Ancient History University of Leicester Leicester UK), William Johnson (0000-0002-0347-4354, University of Leicester), Will Johnson (University of Leicester Archaeological Services University of Leicester Leicester UK), Malene Lauritsen (Department of Archaeology University of Exeter Exeter UK), Mark Maltby (Department of Archaeology and Anthropology Bournemouth University Bournemouth UK), Karina Rapp (Department of Archaeology University of Exeter Exeter UK), Tess Townend (Department of Archaeology University of Exeter Exeter UK), Gary Paul Baker (0009-0005-8767-3914, School of History University of East Anglia Norwich UK), Laura May Jones (Department of Archaeology University of Exeter Exeter UK), Camille Vo Van Qui (Department of Archaeology University of Exeter Exeter UK), Robert Webley (0000-0002-2891-5814, Department of Archaeology University of Exeter Exeter UK), Robert Liddiard (0009-0005-6944-3971, School of History University of East Anglia Norwich UK), Naomi Sykes (0000-0001-6114-7557, Department of Archaeology University of Exeter Exeter UK), Oliver H Creighton, Oliver Creighton (0000-0003-3051-0370, Department of Archaeology University of Exeter Exeter UK), Richard M Thomas (0000-0003-1207-793X, School of Archaeology and Ancient History University of Leicester Leicester UK), Richard Thomas (0000-0002-3325-1952), A K Outram (0000-0003-3360-089X, University of Exeter)
Year2021
Volume31
Issue6
Pages1247-1257
Publication date2021-11-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Osteoarchaeology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1047-482X • E-ISSN: 1099-1212
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/oa.3038
OpenAlexW3198812727
LanguageEN
Citations received17
References cited31

Popular culture presents a deep-rooted perception of medieval warhorses as massive and powerful mounts, but medieval textual and iconographic evidence remains highly debated. Furthermore, identifying warhorses in the zooarchaeological record is challenging due to both a paucity of horse remains relative to other domesticates, and the tendency of researchers to focus on osteological size, which makes it difficult to reconstruct in-life usage of horses and activity related changes. This paper presents the largest zooarchaeological dataset of English horse bones (n = 1964) from 171 unique archaeological sites dating between AD 300 and 1650. Using this dataset alongside a modern comparative sample of known equids (n = 490), we examine trends in size and shape to explore how the skeletal conformation of horses changed through time and reflected their domestic, elite and military roles. In addition to evidencing the generally small stature of medieval horses relative to both earlier and later periods, we demonstrate the importance of accurately exploring the shape of skeletal elements to describe the morphological characteristics of domestic animals. Furthermore, we highlight the need to examine shape variation in the context of entheseal changes and biomechanics to address questions of functional morphology and detect possible markers of artificial selection on past horses

Archaeology · Biology · Evolutionary biology · Geography · Osteology · Zooarchaeology · Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock · History · Veterinary Equine Medical Research · Wildlife Ecology and Conservation