The Pazyryk Horse: Understanding The Central Animal

To understand the world the Ice Maiden came from — and to understand the significance of the six horses in her burial — it is necessary to understand what horses meant to the Pazyryk specifically and to steppe nomads generally.

The horse was not simply a useful animal in the Pazyryk world.

It was the foundation of the entire civilization.

The domestication of the horse — which occurred on the Eurasian steppe perhaps 5,000 to 6,000 years ago — is one of the most consequential events in human history.

Before horse domestication, humans could travel and transport goods at the speed of walking — perhaps 25 to 30 kilometers per day on foot over good terrain.