HORSES IN THE BATTLE FOR EVERYDAY LIFE
| Authors | |
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| Year of publication | 2022 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | The horse was the essential means of transport and production for the medieval communities. Their value and price were always high. Although the horse had to do hard work, whether in the army, transport, agriculture, or as a moving and driving force, it was not possible to treat it too insensitively so as not to degrade its work potential rapidly. Therefore, we welcomed the opportunity to explore a set of several dozen horses and cattle buried south of medieval Brno (CR). The skeletons were discovered in suburban villages south of Brno during rescue excavation, supplying the urban agglomeration with vegetables. All studied individuals were young (exceptionally more than ten years). All skeletons bore significant signs of human treatment (bit wear, deformity of the occipital bone, punctured thoracic vertebrae, hoof bones deformed by careless horseshoeing); signs of severe physical exertion (outgrowths on the long bones, vertebrae, in spinal canal, and vertebral adhesions). The pathology of the examined individuals was also very pronounced: deformed orbits and neoplasms on the bones indicate severe inflammatory diseases. Inverted rib fractures were noted in one individual.The size of horses, which corresponds to the European average (140 - 150 cm), was also examined. The massiveness of the bones indicates a wide variety of body types. Strontium analyzes were performed on the skeletons and compared with cattle buried in the same region. The dating of all skeletons was confirmed by the radiocarbon method. All individuals were buried in the habited area, in the houses’ backyards. Neither shows signs of consumption. Horses were apparently used for both riding and work. |
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