Reading the BONES of an ancient horse.

How can science reconstruct the life of a horse that lived and died over 2,000 years ago? Although no written record preserved his story, his bones reveal clues about his age, sex, coat colour, diet, origin, workload, injuries, and death.In this video, we explore ancient horse archaeology and zooarchaeology through bone morphology, dental wear, ancient DNA, and isotope analysis. Together, these methods turn a horse skeleton into a biological archive—and help us recover the forgotten life of an individual horse. This horse's story also shows what ancient bones can teach us about horses today. Carata is a composite character — his story is built from the skeletal remains of multiple Iron Age horses found at sites across southern France, notably at the oppidum of Pech-Maho in Languedoc, and other across other Iron age sites, combined with published zooarchaeological research. No single skeleton provided all of these details, and we have no idea what name the Gaul gave their horses, but every other detail in this video comes from real science applied to real bones. The techniques described — strontium isotope analysis, ancient DNA extraction, dental cementum analysis, entheseal change assessment, and ZooMS collagen fingerprinting — are all actively used by researchers today. A full reference list for the studies behind Carata's story is available on my Patreon, free for everyone. Carata may be imagined, but the science that built him is very much real. Thank you to ‪@pathologyandponies‬ for the use of the bone samples. Image of the horse drinking water: Roger Brown/Pexel _______________________________________________________________ 🔗 More Ways to Connect: For more information, references on research topics and for supporting the channel head to my Patreon page   / thescienceofraisinghorses   To connect with me to discuss anything related to horses book a free 30 minute chat with me at this link: https://calendly.com/scienceofbreedin... For business contact only: scienceorh(at)outlook.com Disclaimer: (This video is/ is not sponsored.) ⏰ Timecodes ⏰ 00:00 - Intro 00:40- The science of Zooarcheology 01:18- What was Carata? 06:57- Where was he from? 09:00- What did he eat? 12:00- How hard did he work? 15:37 - A hard life 17:00- The final blow Disclaimer: There is no single way to do anything with horses. All I can do is share the way I do things, why I do them and how I got to where I am. The content provided in this video is based on my personal experiences and research. I am not a licensed veterinarian. Any information shared here should not be considered professional advice. I always recommended to consult with a qualified veterinarian who REALLY should be part of your support team. I do not assume any responsibility for actions taken based on the information presented in this video. #AncientHorses #IronAge #Archaeology #Zooarchaeology #HorseScience