A groundbreaking study on a London animal cemetery reveals the extensive international horse trading conducted by England’s medieval elites. Using advanced archaeological techniques, researchers traced the origins of elite horses, underscoring their significance as status symbols and in jousting, and illustrating the lengths to which the elite would go to procure such prestigious animals.
Using advanced archaeological science techniques, including studying chemical composition, researchers have been able to identify the likely origins of several physically elite horses and the routes they took to reach British shores during the formative years of their lives. The research, led by the University of Exeter, and funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, is published in the latest edition of“The chemical signatures we measured in the horse’s teeth are highly distinctive and very different to anything we would expect to see in a horse that grew up in the UK,” said Dr Alex Pryor, Senior Lecturer in Archaeology and lead researcher.
Physical analysis of the teeth revealed wear suggestive of heavy use of a curb bit, often employed with elite animals, especially those groomed for war and tournaments after the 14th century. Bit wear on two of the mares also suggested they were used under saddle or in harness and for breeding. And analysis of the skeletons revealed many of them to be well above average size, with several instances of fused lower thoracic and lumbar vertebrae indicative of a life of riding and hard work.
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