Hoof Beats: How Horses Shaped Human History

by William T. Taylor

Overview

"Hoof Beats helps readers see the drama even in the grass eating. . . . Taylor has written that too-rare work that is as authoritative as it is legible to the lay audience."—New York Times

Journey to the ancient past with cutting-edge science and new data to discover how horses forever altered the course of human history.  
 
From the Rockies to the Himalayas, the bond between horses and humans has spanned across time and civilizations. In this archaeological journey, William T. Taylor explores how momentous events in the story of humans and horses helped create the world we live in today. Tracing the horse's origins and spread from the western Eurasian steppes to the invention of horse-drawn transportation and the explosive shift to mounted riding, Taylor offers a revolutionary new account of how horses altered the course of human history. 
 
Drawing on Indigenous perspectives, ancient DNA, and new research from Mongolia to the Great Plains and beyond, Taylor guides readers through the major discoveries that have placed the horse at the origins of globalization, trade, biological exchange, and social inequality. Hoof Beats transforms our understanding of both horses and humanity's ancient past and asks us to consider what our relationship with horses means for the future of humanity and the world around us.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780520380707
Publisher:	University of California Press
Publication date:	08/06/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	360
Sales rank:	159,764
File size:	28 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

William T. Taylor is Assistant Professor and Curator of Archaeology at the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History in Boulder.

Table of Contents

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments 
Prelude 

Beat One · Horses and People
1. Evolution
2. Connection 
3. Tracing Domestication 

Beat Two · The Cart
4. Wheels 
5. Chariots 

Beat Three · The Rider
6. Oracle Bones 
7. Horseback 
8. Horse People 
9. The Silk and Tea Roads 
10. Steppe Empires 
11. Desert and Savanna Empires 

Beat Four · The World
12. Out to Sea 
13. The Return 
14. Pampas 
15. Into the Pacifi c and Down Under 
16. Iron Horses 
17. Hoofprints 

List of Illustrations 
Notes 
Bibliography 
Index 

Editorial Reviews

The story of the horse is changing fast. Hoof Beats tells us where it stands just now, and can help fill the gap between scholarly developments and popular equine histories.

The Spectator

"Fantastically rich."

Science

"This eminently readable, patiently argued, and insightful history of horses will delight and instruct readers, even those who have never felt the pull of saddle leather and horse sweat. It provides the best summary to date of our ever increasing scientific knowledge of the horse and its interaction with our own species, and shows the debt we owe scholars like Taylor who have spent their lives traveling across the globe to lie on their bellies looking for the tiniest scraps of the past."

Asian Review of Books

"Hoof Beats helps readers see the drama even in the grass eating. . . . Taylor has written that too-rare work that is as authoritative as it is legible to the lay audience."

New York Times

"Taylor is helping break new ground with his scientific perspective on horse domestication, the timing and origins of which scholars have argued over for decades."

Colorado Arts and Sciences Magazine