Prehistoric Steppe Adaptation and the Horse (McDonald Institute Monographs)

The domestication of the horse was one of the most significant events in the development of many human societies, ushering in new modes of transport and warfare and generating social and political change. This volume seeks to examine the origins of horse husbandry and pastoralism - especially nomadic pastoralism - in the Eurasian steppe. In bringing together archaeologists and archaeozoologists from Asia, Europe and North America it provides a wide-ranging overview of issues and evidence for the development of Central European societies from the Neolithic to the Iron Age. Much of the material is here made available in English for the first time. The issues surrounding the domestication of the horse are set firmly within the broader context of steppe ecology and human subsistence, and with the development of pastoral economies across this crucial geographical zone.