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The Iron Age Horse

Rosengren, Erika LU orcid (2017) In Jutland Archaeological Publications 99. p.195-201
Abstract
The Sösdala find with its exquisite horse equipment is spectacular and testifies to the prominent role of the horse in Iron Age society. Although the remains of the horses themselves are absent, information about the animal's physical characteristics can be found in related finds from elsewhere in Scandinavia.

It is possible to infer that the horses do not seem to have expressed much phenotypic variation. The horses were around 120-140 cm over the withers and most were black, bay or chestnut in colour. Genetically. modern Nordic horses show abundant diversity both among and within horse breeds, possibly reflecting a bias toward the trading of females already in ancient times.

In contrast, local stallions seem to have... (More)
The Sösdala find with its exquisite horse equipment is spectacular and testifies to the prominent role of the horse in Iron Age society. Although the remains of the horses themselves are absent, information about the animal's physical characteristics can be found in related finds from elsewhere in Scandinavia.

It is possible to infer that the horses do not seem to have expressed much phenotypic variation. The horses were around 120-140 cm over the withers and most were black, bay or chestnut in colour. Genetically. modern Nordic horses show abundant diversity both among and within horse breeds, possibly reflecting a bias toward the trading of females already in ancient times.

In contrast, local stallions seem to have been highly valued and preferred over imported ones, based on the autochthonous paternal lineages exhibited by the same breeds.
At some point in time, an influx of genes from eastern horse populations occurred, possibly mirroring the eastern influences seen in other categories archaeological material, but this may also be of an earlier or later date. (Less)
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author
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
host publication
The Sösdala Horsemen - and the equestrian elite of fifth century Europe
series title
Jutland Archaeological Publications
editor
Fabech, Charlotte and Näsman, Ulf
volume
99
pages
195 - 201
publisher
Aarhus Universitetsforlag
ISSN
0107-2854
ISBN
978-87-93423-15-2
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
8172fb06-1c08-4c11-a8a8-4e792db5639e
date added to LUP
2017-11-17 14:21:09
date last changed
2019-04-03 02:18:27
@inbook{8172fb06-1c08-4c11-a8a8-4e792db5639e,
  abstract     = {{The Sösdala find with its exquisite horse equipment is spectacular and testifies to the prominent role of the horse in Iron Age society. Although the remains of the horses themselves are absent, information about the animal's physical characteristics can be found in related finds from elsewhere in Scandinavia. <br/><br/>It is possible to infer that the horses do not seem to have expressed much phenotypic variation. The horses were around 120-140 cm  over the withers and most were black, bay or chestnut in colour. Genetically. modern Nordic horses show abundant diversity both among and within horse breeds, possibly reflecting a bias toward the trading of females already in ancient times. <br/><br/>In contrast, local stallions seem to have been highly valued and preferred over imported ones, based on the autochthonous paternal lineages exhibited by the same breeds. <br/>At some point in time, an influx of genes from eastern horse populations occurred, possibly mirroring the eastern influences seen in other categories archaeological material, but this may also be of an earlier or later date.}},
  author       = {{Rosengren, Erika}},
  booktitle    = {{The Sösdala Horsemen - and the equestrian elite of fifth century Europe}},
  editor       = {{Fabech, Charlotte and Näsman, Ulf}},
  isbn         = {{978-87-93423-15-2}},
  issn         = {{0107-2854}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{195--201}},
  publisher    = {{Aarhus Universitetsforlag}},
  series       = {{Jutland Archaeological Publications}},
  title        = {{The Iron Age Horse}},
  volume       = {{99}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}