Dr. Anthony will study archaeological specimens and also conduct experimental research to determine when horseback riding first began in Asia. While it is generally believed that the horse was first domesticated in this region about 4,000 years ago, recent evidence recovered by Dr. Anthony suggests that the true date is at least 2,000 earlier. What he has done is study the premolar teeth from archaeological specimens to look for microscopic traces of bit wear. When ridden, horses usually chew on the bit with these back teeth and when bits are made from metal, they leave a characteristic type of wear. The problem which Dr. Anthony faces is that the earliest bits were made not of metal but either leather or rope and it is unknown either whether these softer materials leave traces or what they might look like. Therefore his research will consist of two parts. First, he will travel to museums in Russia and Hungary and make casts of horse teeth recovered in archaeological contexts. These are accurate to the microscopic level and can be studied by SEM. Secondly, he will organize an experiment in which three horses will be ridden with three different soft mouthpieces for one year. High- resolution moulds of their premolars will be made monthly to track the nature and progression of wear. These experimental results will then be applied the archaeological material. The beginning and diffusion of horseback riding altered the course of human history in Europe, Asia and the Near East. Riding applied an alternate source of energy to the transportation of people and materials, a source that is still the standard by which the power of transportation technologies is measured. The social and economic changes caused by this innovation provide the earliest historical example of human societies transformed by the introduction of a new transport technology. This project will examine in detail the origin of this process. This research is important for several reasons. It will increase our understanding of the prehistory of a large portion of the Old World. It will shed new light on the long term effects of an important innovation and provide data of interest to a large number of archaeologists.
