[Bonetools] astragali - Horse - Nagy 2005

[Gun-Britt]

Hi Pam,

Should we go off list here...or just continue on list, and hope for others having a comment or two as we go along? My thesis has a conclusion somewhere which is supposed to be that ridden/traction horses were brought to Scandinavia in any significant number and for breeding purposes around the beginning of Scandinavian Bronze Age, with the very earliest confirmed find being dated to 2700 bc, which is considered late neolithic here.  However, there is such scarce material, and so many indications that individual horses well may have been tamed and used, long before the Khazaks started regular breedings, aroung 3500 bc.  I claim that horses were ridden (not domesticated mind you) already during the ice age, and before (Google "baton de commendment", parts of bits made out of horn or bone?). My primary source materials are thus focusing on the domestication question in Botai, Dereivka and other places, when and how they spread eastward and to the north. 

Among the interesting rituals involving the horse (and earlier also other animals, such as dogs on occasion (Dereivka find), bovines, and possible red deer in very much earlier times) where the horse ritually is killed, skinned with letting the head and the lower legs and tail stil be left on the skin. This "emptied" horse was hung over a pole, both - as it seems - to award evil during feasting/burial, and acting as sacrifice to ease the gods - and at the end of ritual being buried either with a person (this is the most common in Scandnavia and northern part of Europe at least), or buried alone - together with perhaps a dog, or two dogs, treated the same way - as in Dereivka. I reacted in Alicias paper there, that they mentioned "horse graves with no horses" - how then, did they know it was horse graves, unless there were bits, bridles, saddles etc in these graves, in which case it may just as well have been an offering of goods, not a horse-grave? Just a thought. There are some of those in southern Scandinavia, showing saddlery and tack, not necessarily locally made...

I lean a lot on Gimbutas thoughts of people migrations, rather than material diffusion, with regards to bronze useage and riding/breeding. I think that neither would have caused such a "revolution" if it hadn't been a connection between the both. 

I'd love to share thoughts with you on this, I just wish that I can help you! What are you doing, feel free to email me off list if you think that is more appropriate!
Bright Blessings,
**Gun-Britt Blomdahl
Linnaeus University, Kalmar Sweden

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: PajX at aol.com 
  To: bonetools at listserv.niif.hu 
  Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2011 5:22 PM
  Subject: Re: [Bonetools] astragali - Horse - Nagy 2005


  Dear Gun-Britt

  I'm also researching horse burial, so if Alice sends you a copy of the Nagy 2005 paper would you please send me a copy? 

  Perhaps you might tell me more about your research and perhaps we might be able to share some references?

  best,
  Pam

  Pamela J Cross
  PhD researcher, Bioarchaeology
  AGES, University of Bradford
  BD7 1DP UK
  p.j.cross at bradford.ac.uk
  or pajx at aol.com
  http://www.barc.brad.ac.uk/resstud_Cross.php
  http://www.brad.ac.uk/archenvi/news/EAA09.php


  ======================================
  Hello Alica,
  And thanks for sharing this wonderful article! As I read, I came upon the mentioning of ritualistic horse burials without a horse, from the migration period. I am presently writing about horses, so I wonder if you possibly could contribute with some more specifics on those graves? The reference in your article page 207 is made to Nagy 2005, pp 103-104. Do you have this book? Is there a chance you could copy those two pages and send me? I would greatly appreciate it.
  And so you know it, I will use your article as part of my references. 
  Best greetings,
  **Gun-Britt Blomdahl,
  Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden 




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