Morphological Characteristics of Horses From Pazyryk Culture Kurgans In Altai
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24852/2587-6112.2025.5.139.151Keywords:
archaeology, Altai, kurgans, Scytho-Saka period, Pazyryk culture, horses, morphologyAbstract
Horses, the remains of which were found beside the deceased in Pazyryk culture kurgans (late 6th – turn of the 2nd century BC) have long attracted specialists from a wide range of fields. The morphological descriptions of sacrificed horses have been published since the 1930s. The comprehensive research process identified a range of issues associated with the reconstruction of morphological characteristics of ancient horses, their selection criteria and use in the sacrifice ritual. The methods that were developed and the findings of the last decades have allowed to summarize and supplement the available data, and correlate them with archaeological and certain paleogenetic conclusions. The paper features the morphological characteristics of horses from accompanying burials and describes that their height at the withers correlates with the status of the deceased. The examined morphological characteristics of Pazyryk horses from the Altai Mountains (height at the withers, slender legs) generally suggest their morphological uniformity and the absence of local breed groups among them. The published representative sample results can be used for comparative analysis with similar materials from the monuments of neighboring and remote territories of the previous and subsequent chronological period, as well as with data from synchronous archaeological cultures. They will also contribute to the interpretation of data obtained from paleogenetic and other studies.
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Copyright (c) 2025 N.A. Plasteeva, P.A. Kosintsev, S.K. Vasiliev, P.K. Dashkovskiy, M.V. Sablin, A.A. Tishkin
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