Humans were riding horses 1,000 years earlier than previously thought, new study finds
A new study suggests that humans began riding horses 1,300 years earlier than previously believed. Researchers from the University of Helsinki found evidence that horse taming and domestication occurred around 3500 to 3000 BCE. This discovery may reshape our understanding of human migration and ancestry in Eurasia.
- ▪The previous belief was that horses were first domesticated around 4,000 years ago.
- ▪The research utilized DNA, archaeological, and bone records to trace horse use by humans.
- ▪The findings indicate that horse taming occurred independently across various regions.
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NewsUKHome NewsHumans were riding horses 1,000 years earlier than previously thought, new study findsMass migration of people across Eurasia around 5,000 years ago could have been driven by advent of horsemanship, researchers sayHarry Cockburn Monday 18 May 2026 05:14 BSTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":true,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"CF1:2976545To1","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/horse-riding-taming-domestication-history-b2978368.html","title":"Humans were riding horses 1,000 years earlier than previously thought"}}Icelandic distinctive…
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