Genetic analysis shows that the origin of modern horse breeds can be traced back to about 4,200 years ago, in the steppe between the two rivers Volga and Don in Russia.
Research by the author group led by Professor Ludovic Orlando - Director of the Toulouse Center for Anthropology and Genetics, France - determines that 4,200 years ago was the time and place of the ancestors of all modern horses, from agile racehorses to healthy working horses, first tamed by humans, thereby helping to solve a long-standing mystery.
According to the researcher, in just a few centuries, these horses have spread throughout Asia and Europe. "This is one of the important historical turning points that we can identify," said Professor Orlando.
Previously, many scientists believed that modern horses originated from herds of horses domesticated by Botai farmers in Kazakhstan to get meat and milk about 5,500 years ago.
However, a study by Professor Orlando's group shows that although the Botai herd may have been domesticated, they are not the ancestors of modern horses. Instead, they have a close genetic relationship with the Przewalski horse, another horse species or subspecies, which has now been re-released into nature in Mongolia.
Therefore, the research team of about 160 scientists mapped the genome and determined the fossil age of all horse populations that existed in the Eurasian continent in the period from about 50,000 BC to 200 BC.
Researchers collected remains of 273 ancient horses from many regions such as Siberia, the Iberian Peninsula, Anatolia and the Western Asia - Europe and Central Asia steppes, then compared them with modern horse gene systems.
The results showed that there are 4 separate horse groups. The oldest ancestors of modern horses originated from Siberia, but the group with the closest gene similarity to today's horses came from the downstream Don-Volga region, north of the Black Sea and Caspian Sea.
In just a few centuries, gene traces of this horse group have appeared in Anatolia and Kazakhstan. About 3,500 years ago, they were present everywhere. "This process took place extremely quickly," he said.
The spread of the familiar horse line today seems to be associated with a culture moving east to Asia, Sintashta. "This is a warrior culture with a very developed weapons manufacturing industry," he said.
Gene data shows that the Sintashta people have bred a large number of horses suitable for long journeys and combat.
A few centuries after the domestication of horses, the Sintashta developed battle vehicles with spoke wheels, lighter and faster than the special-wheeled vehicles of other civilizations.
Thanks to possessing superior horses and warhorses, the Sintashta conquered Central Asia, leading to a nearly comprehensive change in the gene structure of both humans and horses in the region.
Horses with chestnut-colored fur, high endurance and stable temperament, originating from the western steppe, are gradually becoming precious commodities and symbols of status in Europe and the Near East.
Research shows that by the late Bronze Age (around 1,500-1,000 BC), this horse lineage had replaced almost all local horse populations.
