Probe into the Origin of Domestic Horses

Chinese scientist studying DNA samples from bones
unearthed from ancient sites.
                                  
Chinese archaeologists are studying the DNA samples
extracted from the bones of horses unearthed from ancient
sites to probe the origin of domestic horses in ancient
China.

       It’s still a mystery to archaeologist when and where
horses were first tamed in China, said Cai Dawei, a
researcher with the centre of archaeological research for
China’s border area under the Jilin University in Northwest
China. The DNA research will offer valuable clues on the
study of migration, spread and domestication of horses,
Cai said. A large number of remains of domestic horses
and carriages have been found in the relic sites dating
back to the late Shang Dynasty (1600BC-1100BC) in
China.

      Many bones of horses sacrificed were discovered in
the sites of the late Shang Dynasty, such as the Yin Ruins
in Central China’s Henan Province, the Laoniupo site in Xi’
an, capital of Northwest China’s Shaanxi Province and the
Qianzhangda site in East China’s Shandong province.

      “However, horses earlier than the Shang Dynasty
were seldom found in China. And its difficult for
archaeologists to determine whether the few remains of
horses earlier than the Shang Dynasty belong to domestic
horses or wild ones,” Cai was quoted as saying by Xinhua
news agency.

        “The lack of evidence at the early period of
domestication of horses and the ‘sudden emergence’ of
tamed horses in the late Shang Dynasty makes the history
of horses in China very confusing,” he said.

       To probe the origin of China’s domestic horses, Cai
and his colleagues has began the study of the DNA
samples extracted from horses remains in Yin Ruins and
the ancient city of Zhenghan in Henan Province, as well as
the archaeological cities in Northwest China’s Ningxia and
North China’s Inner Mongolia. - PTI         

                                                                                   ET: 2-04-06, Beijing
Search anything, anytime !
©  Cheerans Lab (P) Limited        About us | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Contact us | Site Map  
Services
 
Web www.cheerans.com