The origins and spread of domestic horses from the Western Eurasian steppes

Pablo Librado; Naveed Khan; Antoine Fages; Mariya A. Kusliy; Tomasz Suchan; Laure Tonasso-Calviere; Stephanie Schiavinato; Duha Alioglu; Aurore Fromentier; Aude Perdereau; Jean-Marc Aury; Charleen Gaunitz; Lorelei Chauvey; Andaine Seguin-Orlando; Clio Der Sarkissian; John Southon; Beth Shapiro; Alexey A. Tishkin; Alexey A. Kovalev; Saleh Alquraishi; Ahmed H. Alfarhan; Khaled A. S. Al-Rasheid; Timo Seregely; Lutz Klassen; Rune Iversen; Olivier Bignon-Lau; Pierre Bodu; Monique Olive; Jean-Christophe Castel; Myriam Boudadi-Maligne; Nadir Alvarez; Mietje Germonpre; Magdalena Moskal-del Hoyo; Jaroslaw Wilczynski; Sylwia Pospula; Anna Lasota-Kus; Krzysztof Tunia; Marek Nowak; Eve Rannamae; Urmas Saarma; Gennady Boeskorov; Lembi Lougas; Rene Kysely; Lubomir Peske; Adrian Balasescu; Valentin Dumitrascu; Roxana Dobrescu; Daniel Gerber; Viktoria Kiss; Anna Szecsenyi-Nagy; Balazs G. Mende; Zsolt Gallina; Krisztina Somogyi; Gabriella Kulcsar; Erika Gal; Robin Bendrey; Morten E. Allentoft; Ghenadie Sirbu; Valentin Dergachev; Henry Shephard; Noemie Tomadini; Sandrine Grouard; Aleksei Kasparov; Alexander E. Basilyan; Mikhail A. Anisimov; Pavel A. Nikolskiy; Elena Y. Pavlova; Vladimir Pitulko; Gottfried Brem; Barbara Wallner; Christoph Schwall; Marcel Keller; Keiko Kitagawa; Alexander N. Bessudnov; Alexander Bessudnov; William Taylor; Jerome Magail; Jamiyan-Ombo Gantulga; Jamsranjav Bayarsaikhan; Diimaajav Erdenebaatar; Kubatbeek Tabaldiev; Enkhbayar Mijiddorj; Bazartseren Boldgiv; Turbat Tsagaan; Melanie Pruvost; Sandra Olsen; Cheryl A. Makarewicz; Silvia Valenzuela Lamas; Silvia Albizuri Canadell; Ariadna Nieto Espinet; Ma Pilar Iborra; Jaime Lira Garrido; Esther Rodriguez Gonzalez; Sebastian Celestino; Carmen Olaria; Juan Luis Arsuaga; Nadiia Kotova; Alexander Pryor; Pam Crabtree; Rinat Zhumatayev; Abdesh Toleubaev; Nina L. Morgunova; Tatiana Kuznetsova; David Lordkipanize; Matilde Marzullo; Ornella Prato; Giovanna Bagnasco Gianni; Umberto Tecchiati; Benoit Clavel; Sebastien Lepetz; Hossein Davoudi; Marjan Mashkour; Natalia Ya Berezina; Philipp W. Stockhammer; Johannes Krause; Wolfgang Haak; Arturo Morales-Muniz; Norbert Benecke; Michael Hofreiter; Arne Ludwig; Alexander S. Graphodatsky; Joris Peters; Kirill Yu Kiryushin; Tumur-Ochir Iderkhangai; Nikolay A. Bokovenko; Sergey K. Vasiliev; Nikolai N. Seregin; Konstantin Chugunov; Natalya A. Plasteeva; Gennady F. Baryshnikov; Ekaterina Petrova; Mikhail Sablin; Elina Ananyevskaya; Andrey Logvin; Irina Shevnina; Victor Logvin; Saule Kalieva; Valeriy Loman; Igor Kukushkin; Ilya Merz; Victor Merz; Sergazy Sakenov; Victor Varfolomeyev; Emma Usmanova; Viktor Zaibert; Benjamin Arbuckle; Andrey B. Belinskiy; Alexej Kalmykov; Sabine Reinhold; Svend Hansen; Aleksandr I. Yudin; Alekandr A. Vybornov; Andrey Epimakhov; Natalia S. Berezina; Natalia Roslyakova; Pavel A. Kosintsev; Pavel F. Kuznetsov; David Anthony; Guus J. Kroonen; Kristian Kristiansen; Patrick Wincker; Alan Outram; Ludovic Orlando; Institutionen för historiska studier

doi:10.1038/s41586-021-04018-9

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The origins and spread of domestic horses from the Western Eurasian steppes

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The origins and spread of domestic horses from the Western Eurasian steppes

Pablo Librado, Naveed Khan, Antoine Fages, Mariya A. Kusliy, Tomasz Suchan, Laure Tonasso-Calviere, Stephanie Schiavinato, Duha Alioglu, Aurore Fromentier, Aude Perdereau, …

Nature (London), Vol.598(7882), pp.634-640

28/10/2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-04018-9

PMCID: 8550961

PMID: 34671162

Abstract

Multidisciplinary Sciences

Science & Technology

Science & Technology - Other Topics

Analysis of 273 ancient horse genomes reveals that modern domestic horses originated in the Western Eurasian steppes, especially the lower Volga-Don region. Domestication of horses fundamentally transformed long-range mobility and warfare(1). However, modern domesticated breeds do not descend from the earliest domestic horse lineage associated with archaeological evidence of bridling, milking and corralling(2-4) at Botai, Central Asia around 3500 bc(3). Other longstanding candidate regions for horse domestication, such as Iberia(5) and Anatolia(6), have also recently been challenged. Thus, the genetic, geographic and temporal origins of modern domestic horses have remained unknown. Here we pinpoint the Western Eurasian steppes, especially the lower Volga-Don region, as the homeland of modern domestic horses. Furthermore, we map the population changes accompanying domestication from 273 ancient horse genomes. This reveals that modern domestic horses ultimately replaced almost all other local populations as they expanded rapidly across Eurasia from about 2000 bc, synchronously with equestrian material culture, including Sintashta spoke-wheeled chariots. We find that equestrianism involved strong selection for critical locomotor and behavioural adaptations at the GSDMC and ZFPM1 genes. Our results reject the commonly held association(7) between horseback riding and the massive expansion of Yamnaya steppe pastoralists into Europe around 3000 bc(8,9) driving the spread of Indo-European languages(10). This contrasts with the scenario in Asia where Indo-Iranian languages, chariots and horses spread together, following the early second millennium bc Sintashta culture(11,12).

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Title: The origins and spread of domestic horses from the Western Eurasian steppes
Creators - without role: Pablo Librado - Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier
Naveed Khan - Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier
Antoine Fages - Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier
Mariya A. Kusliy - Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier
Tomasz Suchan - Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier
Laure Tonasso-Calviere - Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier
Stephanie Schiavinato - Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier
Duha Alioglu - Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier
Aurore Fromentier - Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier
Aude Perdereau - Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies Commission
Jean-Marc Aury - University of Évry Val d'Essonne
Charleen Gaunitz - Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier
Lorelei Chauvey - Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier
Andaine Seguin-Orlando - Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier
Clio Der Sarkissian - Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier
John Southon - University of California, Irvine
Beth Shapiro - University of California, Santa Cruz
Alexey A. Tishkin - Altai State University
Alexey A. Kovalev - Institute of Archaeology
Saleh Alquraishi - King Saud University
Ahmed H. Alfarhan - King Saud University
Khaled A. S. Al-Rasheid - King Saud University
Timo Seregely - University of Bamberg
Lutz Klassen - Moesgaard Museum
Rune Iversen - University of Copenhagen
Olivier Bignon-Lau - Archéologies et Sciences de l’Antiquité
Pierre Bodu - Archéologies et Sciences de l’Antiquité
Monique Olive - Archéologies et Sciences de l’Antiquité
Jean-Christophe Castel - Natural History Museum of Geneva
Myriam Boudadi-Maligne - De la Préhistoire à l'Actuel : Culture, Environnement et Anthropologie
Nadir Alvarez - Natural History Museum of Geneva
Mietje Germonpre - Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences
Magdalena Moskal-del Hoyo - Polish Acad Sci, W Szafer Inst Bot, Krakow, Poland
Jaroslaw Wilczynski - Polish Acad Sci, Inst Systemat & Evolut Anim, Krakow, Poland
Sylwia Pospula - Polish Acad Sci, Inst Systemat & Evolut Anim, Krakow, Poland
Anna Lasota-Kus - Polish Academy of Sciences
Krzysztof Tunia - Polish Academy of Sciences
Marek Nowak - Jagiellonian University
Eve Rannamae - Inst Hist & Archaeol, Dept Archaeol, Tartu, Estonia
Urmas Saarma - University of Tartu
Gennady Boeskorov - Diamond and Precious Metal Geology Institute
Lembi Lougas - Tallinn University
Rene Kysely - Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Archaeology, Prague
Lubomir Peske
Adrian Balasescu - Romanian Academy
Valentin Dumitrascu - Romanian Academy
Roxana Dobrescu - Romanian Academy
Daniel Gerber - Research Centre for the Humanities
Viktoria Kiss - Research Centre for the Humanities
Anna Szecsenyi-Nagy - Research Centre for the Humanities
Balazs G. Mende - Research Centre for the Humanities
Zsolt Gallina - Zöldségtermesztési Kutató Intézet
Krisztina Somogyi - Rippl-Rónai Museum
Gabriella Kulcsar - Research Centre for the Humanities
Erika Gal - Research Centre for the Humanities
Robin Bendrey - University of Edinburgh
Morten E. Allentoft - Curtin University
Ghenadie Sirbu - Academy of Sciences of Moldova
Valentin Dergachev - Academy of Sciences of Moldova
Henry Shephard - Archaeological Institute of America
Noemie Tomadini - Archéozoologie et Archéobotanique
Sandrine Grouard - Archéozoologie et Archéobotanique
Aleksei Kasparov - Institute of History of Material Culture
Alexander E. Basilyan - Geological Institute
Mikhail A. Anisimov - Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute
Pavel A. Nikolskiy - Geological Institute
Elena Y. Pavlova - Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute
Vladimir Pitulko - Institute of History of Material Culture
Gottfried Brem - University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna
Barbara Wallner - University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna
Christoph Schwall - Austrian Academy of Sciences
Marcel Keller - Estonian Biocentre
Keiko Kitagawa - University of Tübingen
Alexander N. Bessudnov - Lipetsk State Pedagogical University
Alexander Bessudnov - Lipetsk State Pedagogical University
William Taylor - Museum of Boulder
Jerome Magail - Musee Anthropol Prehist Monaco, Monaco, Monaco
Jamiyan-Ombo Gantulga - Mongolian Academy of Sciences
Jamsranjav Bayarsaikhan - Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History
Diimaajav Erdenebaatar - Ulaanbaatar State Univ, Dept Archaeol, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Kubatbeek Tabaldiev - Kyrgyz-Türkish Manas Üniversity
Enkhbayar Mijiddorj - Ulaanbaatar State Univ, Dept Archaeol, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Bazartseren Boldgiv - National University of Mongolia
Turbat Tsagaan - Chinggis Khaan Museum, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Melanie Pruvost - De la Préhistoire à l'Actuel : Culture, Environnement et Anthropologie
Sandra Olsen - University of Kansas
Cheryl A. Makarewicz - Kiel University
Silvia Valenzuela Lamas - Consejo Super Invest Cient IMF CSIC, Inst Mila & Fontanals Humanitats, Archaeol Social Dynam, Barcelona, Spain
Silvia Albizuri Canadell - Universitat de Barcelona
Ariadna Nieto Espinet - Universitat de Lleida
Ma Pilar Iborra
Jaime Lira Garrido - Universidad de Extremadura
Esther Rodriguez Gonzalez - CSIC Junta Extremadura, Inst Arqueol, Merida, Spain
Sebastian Celestino - Instituto de Arqueología-Mérida
Carmen Olaria - Universitat Jaume I
Juan Luis Arsuaga - Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Nadiia Kotova - Natl Acad Sci Ukraine, Inst Archaeol, Dept Eneolith & Bronze Age, Kiev, Ukraine
Alexander Pryor - University of Exeter
Pam Crabtree - New York University
Rinat Zhumatayev - Al-Farabi Kazakh National University
Abdesh Toleubaev - Alma
Nina L. Morgunova - Orenburg State Pedag Univ, Sci Res Dept, Orenburg, Russia
Tatiana Kuznetsova - Moscow MV Lomonosov State Univ, Fac Geol, Dept Palaeontol, Moscow, Russia
David Lordkipanize - Georgian Natl Museum, Tbilisi, Georgia
Matilde Marzullo - University of Milan
Ornella Prato - University of Milan
Giovanna Bagnasco Gianni - University of Milan
Umberto Tecchiati - University of Milan
Benoit Clavel - Archeobot AASPE, Archeozool, Museum Natl Hist Nat, CNRS, CP 56, Paris, France
Sebastien Lepetz - Archeobot AASPE, Archeozool, Museum Natl Hist Nat, CNRS, CP 56, Paris, France
Hossein Davoudi - University of Tehran
Marjan Mashkour - Archeobot AASPE, Archeozool, Museum Natl Hist Nat, CNRS, CP 56, Paris, France
Natalia Ya Berezina - Lomonosov Moscow State University
Philipp W. Stockhammer - Max
Johannes Krause - Max
Wolfgang Haak - Max
Arturo Morales-Muniz - Univ Autonoma Madrid, Dept Biol, Madrid, Spain
Norbert Benecke - German Archaeol Inst, Eurasia Dept, Berlin, Germany
Michael Hofreiter - University of Potsdam
Arne Ludwig - Leibniz Inst Zoo & Wildlife Res, Dept Evolutionary Genet, Berlin, Germany
Alexander S. Graphodatsky - RAS, Inst Mol & Cellular Biol SB, Dept Divers & Evolut Genomes, Novosibirsk, Russia
Joris Peters - Ludwig Maximilians Univ Munchen, ArchaeoBioCtr, Munich, Germany
Kirill Yu Kiryushin
Tumur-Ochir Iderkhangai - Ulaanbaatar State Univ, Dept Archaeol, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Nikolay A. Bokovenko - Russian Acad Sci IHMC RAS, Inst Hist Mat Culture, St Petersburg, Russia
Sergey K. Vasiliev - RAS, ArchaeoZOOl Siberia & Cent Asia ZooSCAn Int Res L, Inst Archeol & Ethnog, Siberian Branch, Novosibirsk, Russia
Nikolai N. Seregin - Altai State University
Konstantin Chugunov - State Hermitage Museum
Natalya A. Plasteeva - Plant
Gennady F. Baryshnikov - Russian Acad Sci, Inst Zool, St Petersburg, Russia
Ekaterina Petrova - Vilnius University
Mikhail Sablin - Russian Acad Sci, Inst Zool, St Petersburg, Russia
Elina Ananyevskaya - Vilnius University
Andrey Logvin - Kostanay State Univ, Fac Hist & Law, Lab Archaeol Res, Kostanay, Kazakhstan
Irina Shevnina - Kostanay State Univ, Fac Hist & Law, Lab Archaeol Res, Kostanay, Kazakhstan
Victor Logvin - Surgut Govt Univ, Dept Hist & Archaeol, Surgut, Russia
Saule Kalieva - Surgut Govt Univ, Dept Hist & Archaeol, Surgut, Russia
Valeriy Loman - Buketov Karaganda Univ, Saryarka Archaeol Inst, Karaganda, Kazakhstan
Igor Kukushkin - Buketov Karaganda Univ, Saryarka Archaeol Inst, Karaganda, Kazakhstan
Ilya Merz - Toraighyrov Univ, Joint Res Ctr Archeol Studies, Pavlodar, Kazakhstan
Victor Merz - Toraighyrov Univ, Joint Res Ctr Archeol Studies, Pavlodar, Kazakhstan
Sergazy Sakenov - LN Gumilev Eurasian Natl Univ, Fac Hist, Nur Sultan, Kazakhstan
Victor Varfolomeyev - Buketov Karaganda Univ, Saryarka Archaeol Inst, Karaganda, Kazakhstan
Emma Usmanova - Buketov Karaganda Univ, Saryarka Archaeol Inst, Karaganda, Kazakhstan
Viktor Zaibert - Alma
Benjamin Arbuckle - Univ N Carolina, Dept Anthropol, Alumni Bldg, Chapel Hill, NC 27515 USA
Andrey B. Belinskiy - Nasledie Cultural Heritage Unit, Stavropol, Russia
Alexej Kalmykov - Nasledie Cultural Heritage Unit, Stavropol, Russia
Sabine Reinhold - German Archaeol Inst, Eurasia Dept, Berlin, Germany
Svend Hansen - German Archaeol Inst, Eurasia Dept, Berlin, Germany
Aleksandr I. Yudin - Res Ctr Preservat Cultural Heritage, Saratov, Russia
Alekandr A. Vybornov - Samara State University
Andrey Epimakhov - South Ural State University
Natalia S. Berezina - Supreme Council Of Health
Natalia Roslyakova - Samara State University
Pavel A. Kosintsev - Plant
Pavel F. Kuznetsov - Samara State University
David Anthony - Harvard University
Guus J. Kroonen - University of Copenhagen
Kristian Kristiansen - University of Gothenburg
Patrick Wincker - University of Paris-Saclay
Alan Outram - University of Exeter
Ludovic Orlando - Univ Paul Sabatier, Ctr Anthropobiol & Genom Toulouse, Toulouse, France
Institutionen för historiska studier
Publication Details: Nature (London), Vol.598(7882), pp.634-640
Publisher: NATURE PORTFOLIO
Number of pages: 19
Grant note: PRG29 / Estonian Research Council 21-18-00457 / Russian Science Foundation; Russian Science Foundation (RSF) 16-18-10265; 20-78-10151; 21-18-00457 / Russian Science Foundation; Russian Science Foundation (RSF) AAAA-A19-119032590102-7 / Zoological Institute ZIN RAS FENU-2020-0021 / Government of the Russian Federation 681605; 716732; 834616 / European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union; European Research Council (ERC) Villum Funden miGENEPI research programme PRG1209 / Estonian Ministry of Education and Research; Ministry of Education and Research, Estonia 19-59-15001; 20-04-00213 / Russian Foundation for Basic Research; Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR); Spanish Government University Paul Sabatier IDEX Chaire d'Excellence (OURASI) ANR-10-INBS-09-08 / France Genomique Appel a Grand Projet Hungarian Academy of Sciences (Momentum Mobility Research Project of the Institute of Archaeology, Research Centre for the Humanities) CNRS International Research Project (IRP AMADEUS) NF 104792 / Hungarian Scientific Research Fund; Orszagos Tudomanyos Kutatasi Alapprogramok (OTKA) IB10131; IB18060 / Junta de Extremadura (Spain) European Regional Development Fund; European Union (EU) 797449 / European Union; European Union (EU) RVO:67985912 / Czech Academy of Sciences NSRSP-2020/2 / King Saud University Researchers Supporting Project CNRS 'Programme de Recherche Conjoint' (PRC) 2013/11/B/HS3/03822 / Polish National Science Centre
Identifiers: 9948445808331
Academic Unit: King Saud University
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article