Horses domesticated 4,000 years earlier than thought

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has found traces of a civilization that was domesticating horses about 9,000 years ago, 4,000 years earlier than previously thought.
The discovery has shed new light on the origin of the Arabian horse, which has remained a great zoological mystery. Although this unique breed has had a distinct national identity for centuries, its history defies simple interpretation.
Saudi Arabia is excavating a new archaeological site that shows that the horses were domesticated 9,000 years ago in the Arabian Peninsula. Prince Sultan bin Salman, chairman of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTNH), and members of the excavation team briefed Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman on the importance of the artifacts that were found in Al-Maqar, in the central region of the Kingdom.
“The antiquities proved that Al-Maqar was the oldest place in the world so far with people interested in horses,” an official statement said, adding that the artifacts also showed the cultural activities of people in the region during the Stone Age.
The discovery of the civilization, named Al-Maqar after the site’s location, will challenge the theory that domestication of animals took place 5,500 years ago in Central Asia, said Ali Al-Ghabban, vice president of antiquities and museums at the SCTNH. “This discovery will change our knowledge concerning the domestication of horses and the evolution of culture in the late Neolithic period,” Ghabban recently told a news conference in Jeddah.
The site also includes remains of mummified skeletons, arrowheads, scrapers, grain grinders, tools for spinning and weaving, and other tools that are evidence of a civilization that is skilled in handicrafts. One statue shows the unique neck and head characteristics of the breed. Two are said to show evidence of harness and a bridle. A nearby cave drawing appears to show a man riding a horse, and other evidence points to horses and other animals being part of the inhabitants’ daily lives.
Several statues of other animals were found on the site, indicating the animals were part of the inhabitants’ daily lives. They included horses, sheep, goats, Saluki dogs, ostriches, falcons and fish.
Ibexes, ostriches and other animals, as well as human figures including a knight riding a horse are carefully depicted, said SCTNH. Another drawing shows hunting ibexes followed by hound dogs where five dogs are surrounding an ibex.