The Horse in Early Ireland

The horse in early Ireland Finbar McCORMICK School of Geography Archaeology and Palaeoecology Queen’s University of Belfast BT7 1NN, Belfast, Northern Ireland (United Kingdom) [email protected] McCormick F. 2007. – The horse in early Ireland. Anthropozoologica 42 (1): 85-104. ABSTRACT The main object of this paper is to review the development of horse exploitation in Ireland between its introduction in the Bronze Age and the medieval KEY WORDS Horse, period. The review considers the evidence of the use of horse for riding and Ireland, traction and contrasts this with the evidence from neighbouring Britain. The traction, change in horse size is traced as is the development of horse-related technol- chariots, ritual, ogy. The association of horse with burial ritual and the inauguration of kings horse technology. is also considered. RÉSUMÉ Le cheval au début de l’Irlande L’objectif principal de cette contribution est d’examiner le développement de l’exploitation du cheval depuis son introduction à l’âge du Bronze jusqu’à la MOTS CLÉS Cheval, période médiévale. Cet article présente l’évidence de l’usage du cheval pour la Irlande, monte et la traction qu’il met en parallèle avec la proche Grande Bretagne. Le traction, changement de la taille des chevaux est mis en relation avec le développement chars, rite, des technologies liées aux chevaux. L’association du cheval avec les rites d’en- technologies liées au cheval. terrements et l’intronisation des rois est aussi considérée. INTRODUCTION About 30,000 years ago, wild horses were present across large parts of Eurasia and the Americas. Remains from Shandon Cave, Co. Waterford, show that wild horse was present in Ireland about 28,000 years ago (Woodman et al. 1997: 146) Subsequently, an increase of glacial cover led to their extinction in Ireland and they did not manage to re-establish themselves when the glaciers retreated. In Britain the wild horse was still in existence in post-glacial times, the ANTHROPOZOOLOGICA • 2007 • 42 (1) © Publications Scientifiques du Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris. 85 McCormick F. latest secure recording dating from between horse must have precipitated a social and econo- 9,000 and 10,000 B.P.(Yalden 1999: 65). Horse mic revolution comparable to the arrival of the have been found at late Neolithic Durrington same commodities to the Amerindians in the six- Walls and other sites but whether they are wild or teenth centuries. Anthony (1994: 191) remarks domesticated is not easy to ascertain. The pos- that in that case “trade and exchange systems sible late survival of wild horse in Britain makes extended further, became socially more complex, the identification of any early domesticated horse and carried a higher volume of goods than would problematic. have been possible with pedestrian transport”. This problem does not arise in Ireland and all Most importantly, those in possession of horses early prehistoric equid remains can reliably be had a clear military advantage over neighboring accepted as domesticated. The earliest evidence peoples and the political basis of the Amerindians for the presence of domesticated horse is from was totally changed by the advent of the horse. It Early Bronze Age contexts at Newgrange, Co. is likely that the numbers of horse present in Meath dating to about 2,400 B.C. (Van Early Bronze Age Ireland would have been low so Wijngaarden-Bakker1975: 345) (Fig. 1). In a their military potential is likely to have been limi- few instances, horse remains have been found in ted. This rarity, however, would have heightened Neolithic megalithic tombs but these are likely their prestige and emphasised the social standing either to be secondary intrusions or mis-identifi- of their owners. cations. For instance, a horse skull fragment from The horse bones from Newgrange were found the Neolithic Audleystown court-tomb on the intermixed with food refuse from other domesti- shores of Strangford Lough, Co. Down, is likely cated livestock. It could be suggested that while to be associated with the secondary Bronze Age the horse may have been kept primarily for trans- Food Vessel burials that were inserted into the port, they were also eaten. Some of the horses tomb (McCormick 1986, 41). Again, a burnt were quite old, up to fifteen years (Van bone pin from the Neolithic Fourknocks passage Wijngaarden-Bakker1986: 85), suggesting that tomb, Co. Meath, was described by the excavator they were only killed and eaten after a useful life as made of a horse shin bone (Hartnett 1957: of transport or traction had finished. One of the 245) but examination of the pin by the present horse foot bones from Newgrange displayed evi- writer has indicated that it was not possible to dence of an arthritic problem that could have identify the bone at species level. There is there- been the result of either old age or physical stress fore no evidence for the presence of the horse in due to overwork (Van Wijngaarden-Bakker Ireland before the Bronze Age. 1986: 84). This, coupled with the presence of old animals that had long before reached optimal size for meat production, must imply that they were BRONZE AGE ( C . 2300-500 B.C.) used for transport. Some of the horses, however, were young, still at their milk teeth stage, and The Early Bronze Age settlement at Newgrange suggests natural mortality or that young animals was characterised by a type of pottery known as may have been occasionally culled for their meat. Beaker pottery. The arrival of this pottery coin- In Ireland, and elsewhere in western Europe, cides with the arrival of metal. Van Wijngaarden- horse would appear to have provided little advan- Bakker (1975a) has noted that in parts of north tage over other domesticates for anything other western Europe Beaker pottery, metal and the than for riding. They were of little use for heavy horse appear at the same time. There seems also traction (see below), and were inferior to cattle, to be a general acceptance that the earliest une- sheep or goat as far as milk production was quivocal evidence for domesticated horse in concerned. They did not produce wool and were Great Britain also dates to the Early Bronze Age not as fecund as the pig. In the eastern European (Yalden 1999: 98). The arrival of metal and the steppes they had a clear advantage over other 86 ANTHROPOZOOLOGICA • 2007 • 42 (1) The horse in early Ireland F IG.1. – Map showing location of sites mentioned in the text. domesticates because of their ability to survive kept in larger numbers in these areas compared steppe winters when other domesticates did not. with the temperate west. Horses use their hooves to scrape deep snow away The Newgrange horses were rather small and in order to access the vegetation beneath. In a slender (Table 1). Two complete bones allowed similar depth of snow cattle and sheep would shoulder heights of 111 cm and 120 cm to be have perished as they use only their noses to push estimated (Van Wijngaarden-Bakker1986: 84). aside snow (Anthony1994: 185-186). It is Figure2 shows the range of shoulder heights unsurprising, therefore, that horses tended to be from Irish sites of different periods using May’s ANTHROPOZOOLOGICA • 2007 • 42 (1) 87 McCormickF. T ABLE 1. –Horsemeasurements aftervon den Drieschand Boessneck(1974) from Newgrange (VanWijngaarden-Bakker1975:248; 1986:85),Tara(McCormick2002:112)and DúnAilinne (Crabtree,forthcoming). SiteBone GL GLlBpBdSD Newgrange Metacarpal19740.341.1 Metacarpal18217822.9 TaraTibia328298.261.4 42.2 Radius 323 307.4 69.9 37.9 DúnAilinne Metatarsal238.0232.042.8 42.9 33.5 T ABLE 2.–Horseepiphysealfusion datafrom Moynagh crannog,Co. MeathafterSilver(1969:285-286). (P.=proximal;D.=distal). Fused Unfused Approx.age age atfusion (afterSilver1968) Humerus P.203-3.5 yrs Humerus D.1015-18 months Radius P.8015-18 months Radius D.813.5 yrs UlnaP.213.5 yrs MetacarpalD.3015-18 months Pelvis7018-24months Femur P.513-3.5 yrs Femur D.103-3.5 yrs TibiaP.423-3.5 yrs MetatarsalD.3016-20 months Bronzeand Iron Ages Waterford12th-13thcentury 10 10 Bronze Age r Iron Age r e e b 5 b 5 m m u u N N 0 0 0 4 8 2 6 0 4 8 2 6 0 4 cm 0 4 8 2 6 0 4 2 6 cm 1 1 1 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 5 5 1 1 1 2 2 3 3 38 4 4 50 54 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 EarlyChristianrural Dublin 14th-15thcentury 25 10 20 r r e 15 e b b m 5 m u 10 u N N 5 0 0 0 4 8 2 6 0 4 8 2 6 0 4 cm 0 4 8 2 6 0 4 8 2 6 0 4 cm 1 1 1 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 5 5 1 1 1 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 5 5 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Dublin 10th-12thcentury Dublin 16thcentury 10 10 r r e e b 5 b m 5 m u u N N 0 0 0 4 8 2 6 0 4 8 2 6 0 4 cm 1 1 1 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 5 5 0 4 8 2 6 0 4 8 2 6 0 4 cm 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 5 5 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 F IG.2.–Horseshoulderheights.The shoulderheights asestimated from arange of longbonesusing the multiplication factors of May(1985).

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