In search of the ‘great horse’: A zooarchaeological assessment of horses from England (AD 300–1650)

Carly Ameen; Helene Benkert; Tamsyn Fraser; Rebecca Gordon; Matilda Holmes; Will Johnson; Malene Lauritsen; Mark Maltby; Karina Rapp; Tess Townend; Gary Paul Baker; Laura May Jones; Camille Vo Van Qui; Robert Webley; Robert Liddiard; Naomi Sykes; Oliver H. Creighton; Richard Thomas; Alan K. Outram

doi:10.1002/oa.3038

journal article Open Access Sep 07, 2021

In search of the ‘great horse’: A zooarchaeological assessment of horses from England (AD 300–1650)

Carly Ameen

Helene Benkert Tamsyn Fraser Rebecca Gordon

Matilda Holmes Will Johnson Malene Lauritsen Mark Maltby Karina Rapp Tess Townend Gary Paul Baker Laura May Jones Camille Vo Van Qui Robert Webley Robert Liddiard Naomi Sykes Oliver H. Creighton Richard Thomas

Alan K. Outram

International Journal of Osteoarchaeology Vol. 31 No. 6 pp. 1247-1257 · Wiley

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Abstract

AbstractPopular 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.

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Details

Published: Sep 07, 2021
Vol/Issue: 31(6)
Pages: 1247-1257
License: View

Authors

C

Carly Ameen

Department of Archaeology University of Exeter Exeter UK

H

Helene Benkert

Department of Archaeology University of Exeter Exeter UK

T

Tamsyn Fraser

Department of Archaeology University of Sheffield Sheffield UK

R

Rebecca Gordon

Brereton Road Bedford UK

M

Matilda Holmes

School of Archaeology and Ancient History University of Leicester Leicester UK

W

Will Johnson

University of Leicester Archaeological Services University of Leicester Leicester UK

M

Malene Lauritsen

Department of Archaeology University of Exeter Exeter UK

M

Mark Maltby

Department of Archaeology and Anthropology Bournemouth University Bournemouth UK

K

Karina Rapp

Department of Archaeology University of Exeter Exeter UK

T

Tess Townend

Department of Archaeology University of Exeter Exeter UK

G

Gary Paul Baker

School of History University of East Anglia Norwich UK

L

Laura May Jones

Department of Archaeology University of Exeter Exeter UK

C

Camille Vo Van Qui

Department of Archaeology University of Exeter Exeter UK; Department of History University of Exeter Exeter UK

R

Robert Webley

Department of Archaeology University of Exeter Exeter UK

R

Robert Liddiard

School of History University of East Anglia Norwich UK

N

Naomi Sykes

Department of Archaeology University of Exeter Exeter UK

O

Oliver H. Creighton

Department of Archaeology University of Exeter Exeter UK

R

Richard Thomas

School of Archaeology and Ancient History University of Leicester Leicester UK

A

Alan K. Outram

Department of Archaeology University of Exeter Exeter UK

Cite This Article

Carly Ameen, Helene Benkert, Tamsyn Fraser, et al. (2021). In search of the ‘great horse’: A zooarchaeological assessment of horses from England (AD 300–1650). International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 31(6), 1247-1257. https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.3038

In search of the ‘great horse’: A zooarchaeological assessment of horses from England (AD 300–1650)

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