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Abstract
Although recognized as one of the most significant cultural transformations in North America, the reintroduction of the horse to the continent after AD 1492 has been rarely addressed by archaeological science. A key contributing factor behind this limited study is the apparent absence of equine skeletal remains from early historic archaeological contexts. Here, we present a multidisciplinary analysis of a horse skeleton recovered in Lehi, Utah, originally attributed to the Pleistocene. Reanalysis of stratigraphic context and radiocarbon dating indicates a historic age for this horse (cal AD 1681–1939), linking it with Ute or other Indigenous groups, whereas osteological features demonstrate its use for mounted horseback riding—perhaps with a nonframe saddle. DNA analysis indicates that the animal was a female domestic horse, which was likely cared for as part of a breeding herd despite outliving its usefulness in transport. Finally, sequentially sampled stable carbon, oxygen, and strontium isotope values from tooth enamel (δ13C, δ18O, and 87Sr/86Sr) suggest that the horse was raised locally. These results show the utility of archaeological science as applied to horse remains in understanding Indigenous horse pastoralism, whereas consideration of the broader archaeological record suggests a pattern of misidentification of horse bones from early historic contexts.
Highlights
Recognized as one of the most significant cultural transformations in North America, the reintroduction of the horse to the continent after AD 1492 has been rarely addressed by archaeological science
The evidence for an Ice Age origin was intriguing, given that Pleistocene horse remains have been previously reported from shoreline deposits along the Wasatch Front associated with Lake Bonneville (Milligan and McDonald 2017; Nelson and Madsen 1987), we identified several key aspects of the Lehi horse that raised questions about its age, paleontological associations, and context
These results demonstrate that the Lehi horse is historic, not Pleistocene in age
Summary
Recognized as one of the most significant cultural transformations in North America, the reintroduction of the horse to the continent after AD 1492 has been rarely addressed by archaeological science. Sequentially sampled stable carbon, oxygen, and strontium isotope values from tooth enamel (δ13C, δ18O, and 87Sr/86Sr) suggest that the horse was raised locally. These results show the utility of archaeological science as applied to horse remains in understanding Indigenous horse pastoralism, whereas consideration of the broader archaeological record suggests a pattern of misidentification of horse bones from early historic contexts. El reanálisis del contexto estratigráfico junto con la Natural History, Boulder, CO 80309, USA; Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, 07745 Jena, Germany. Patrick Roberts ▪ Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, 07745 Jena, Germany; School of Social Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
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