Equids in Time and Space

The domestication of the horse represents a particularly controversial issue in zooarchaeology. The history of equids is associated with the history of human movement, trade and exchange in later prehistory, which is why the relationship between people and horses, more so than for any other species, is widely regarded as an issue of general archaeological, and not simply zooarchaeological, interest. To identify truly domestic horses and donkeys it is vital that sound methods are devised to tackle that most intractable of zooarchaeological problems - the separation of wild and domestic forms and of various equid species (including their hybrids). The archaeological investigation of the history of the human-equid relationship is, therefore, complex, diverse and fascinating - and the ideal subject for an ICAZ session and a book of the series. There are methodological as well as historical chapters dealing with problems ranging from the earliest purported evidence for domestication, to the role of horses in the classical periods; the geographic scope is also vast, spanning Portugal to China, and Siberia to Africa.
This book is a testimony to the excellence of current archaeological research into equids, and a testimony to one of the most remarkable animals ever to have thrown in its lot with mankind.