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The Origins of Domestic Horses in North-west Europe: new Direct Dates on the Horses of Newgrange, Ireland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 May 2013

Robin Bendrey ,
Nick Thorpe ,
Alan Outram  and
Louise H. van Wijngaarden-Bakker
Robin Bendrey
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, University of Reading, Whiteknights Box 226, Reading, RG6 6AB, UK
Nick Thorpe
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, University of Winchester, Winchester SO22 4NR, UK
Alan Outram
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4QE, UK
Louise H. van Wijngaarden-Bakker
Affiliation:
Amsterdam Archaeological Center, University of Amsterdam, Turfdraagsterpad 9, 1012 XT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

This paper presents direct radiocarbon measurements on horse skeletal remains from the Beaker period settlement at the site of Newgrange in Ireland, finds which have previously been argued as the earliest domestic horses in Ireland. The new determinations date the horse remains to the Irish Iron Age and shed important new light on the introduction of domestic horses to Ireland and to north-west Europe more generally. Although the new dates undermine the idea for the introduction of horses as part of a ‘Beaker package’, the early use of horse is not well defined archaeologically or chronologically and the earliest use of domestic horses in Ireland and Britain is still uncertain. This paper also identifies evidence for heavy bitting damage on the Iron Age Newgrange horse teeth and presents some possible parallels between the evidence from Newgrange and that at Tara, which has been previously linked with kingship rituals

Résumé

Origines du cheval domestique dans le nord-ouest de l'Europe:nouvelles datations directes des chevaux de Newgrange, Irlande, de Robin Bendrey, Nick Thorpe, Alan Outram et Louise H van Wijngaarden-Bakker

Cet article discute les mesures au C14 directes effectuées sur les restes d'un squelette de cheval d'une occupation de la période Beaker sur le site de Newgrange, en Irlande; trouvailles qui sont, a-t-on argumenté dans le passé, les plus anciens chevaux domestiques d'Irlande. Les nouvelles déterminations datent les restes de ce cheval de l’âge du fer irlandais et jettent une importante nouvelle lumière sur l'introduction des chevaux domestiques en Irlande et, plus généralement, dans l'Europe du Nord-ouest. Bien que les nouvelles datations sapent l'idée que l'introduction des chevaux faisait partie d'un ‘lot Beaker’, le début de leur utilisation n'est pas bien défini archéologiquement, ni chronologiquement, et la plus ancienne utilisation des chevaux domestiques en Irlande et en Grande-Bretagne reste aléatoire. Nous présentons des témoignages de gros dégâts de mors sur les dents du cheval de l’âge du fer de Newgrange et discutons de possibles parallèles entre les témoignages de Newgrange et ceux de Tara, associés dans le passé à des rituels royaux

Zussamenfassung

Die Herkunft domestizierter Pferde in Nordwesteuropa: Neue direkte Daten zu den Pferden von Newgrange, Irland, von Robin Bendrey, Nick Thorpe, Alan Outram und Louise H. van Wijngaarden-Bakker

Dieser Beitrag diskutiert direkte Radiokarbonmessungen, die an Skelettfunden von becherzeitlichen Pferden aus Newgrange in Irland vorgenommen wurden; diese Funde wurden bisher als die ältesten domestizierten Pferde in Irland angesehen. Die neuen Daten datieren die Pferdefunde in die irische Eisenzeit und werfen neues und aufschlussreiches Licht auf die Einführung domestizierter Pferde nach Irland und generell nach Nordwesteuropa. Zwar stellen die neuen Daten die Vorstellung der Einführung von Pferden als Teil des ,,Glockenbecherphänomens“ in Frage, jedoch ist die frühe Nutzung von domestizierten Pferden weder archäologisch noch chronologisch besonders gut geklärt, und ihre früheste Nutzung in Irland und Großbritannien muss noch immer als unsicher gelten. Hinweise auf starke Abnutzung der Zähne der eisenzeitlichen Pferde aus Newgrange wird in diesem Beitrag ebenso diskutiert wie mögliche Parallelen zwischen den Beobachtungen in Newgrange und solchen in Tara, die bisher mit Königsritualen in Verbindung gebracht wurden

Resumen

Los orígenes de los caballos domésticos en el noroeste de Europa: nuevas dataciones directas sobre los caballos de Newgrange, Irlanda, por Robin Bendrey, Nick Thorpe, Alan Outram y Louise H van Wijngaarden-Bakker

Este artículo discute las mediciones directas de radiocarbono realizadas sobre restos esqueléticos de caballos, procedentes del asentamiento de época campaniforme del yacimiento de Newgrange en Irlanda; hallazgos que previamente se han considerado los caballos domésticos más antiguos de Irlanda. Las nuevas dataciones adscriben los restos de caballo a la Edad del Hierro y arrojan nuevos datos sobre la introducción de los caballos domésticos en Irlanda y, en general, en el noroeste de Europa. Aunque las nuevas dataciones debilitan la idea de la introducción de los caballos como parte del “paquete campaniforme”, su uso en momentos más antiguos no está bien definido arqueológica o cronológicamente y la primera utilización de los caballos domésticos en Irlanda e Inglaterra es aún incierta. Se presentan evidencias de daño óseo causado por mordeduras en los dientes de caballo de la Edad del Hierro de Newgrange y se discuten algunos posibles paralelismos entre las evidencias de Newgrange y las de Tara, que se han relacionado con “rituales de la realeza”

Keywords

domestic horseIrelandNewgrangeBeaker periodIron Ageradiocarbon dating
Type
Articles
Information
Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society , Volume 79 , December 2013 , pp. 91 - 103
Copyright
Copyright © The Prehistoric Society 2013 

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