News Release

Horse dentistry may have originated in Mongolian Steppe

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

First Incisor

image: This is an anthropogenically modified deciduous, upper left first incisor from the site of Uguumur, Zavkhan, central Mongolia, recovered from a ritual horse burial belonging to the late Bronze Age. view more 

Credit: PNAS

A study suggests that dental care of horses may have originated in the Mongolian Steppe. Veterinary dentistry dates back to antiquity, but its precise origin remains unclear, partly because historical records from nomadic peoples are sparse and archaeological finds are shrouded in ambiguity. William Timothy Treal Taylor and colleagues analyzed well-preserved skeletal remains of horses recovered from tombs and ritual horse burials in the Mongolian Steppe. The authors uncovered evidence of attempted dental surgery, including partially sawn, improperly erupted milk teeth, in the skulls of young horses found at ritual burial sites in Mongolia. Radiocarbon dating of other teeth from the same horses suggested that experimentation with dental procedures began around 1150 BCE, coinciding with the advent of horseback riding among the Mongolian herders. Chronological patterns in horse dentition found in archaeological sites suggest that the practice of removing wolf teeth was tied to the inclusion of bits made of bronze and other metals in bridles, which provided ancient horsemen with improved control; wolf teeth are vestigial premolars commonly removed in modern horse care because their position interferes with bits, triggering pain and damaging tissues. Together, the evidence suggests that innovative forms of equine dental care among nomadic people may have facilitated the eventual emergence of mounted riding and equestrian warfare, according to the authors.

Article #17-21189: "Origins of equine dentistry," by William Taylor et al.

MEDIA CONTACT: William Taylor, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, GERMANY; tel: +1-406-273-1484; e-mail: <taylor@shh.mpg.de>

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