Exploring the Socioeconomic Impact of Equids in the Iron Age Near Eastcore
CENTAURIA · Horizon Europe grant · 2026-09-01–2028-08-31
EC contribution
Total cost
Beneficiaries
About the data
Source: CORDIS (official EU open data), Horizon Europe. Framework HORIZON · call HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01 · scheme HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF · topic HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01-01. CORDIS record →
Objective
Since the late 2nd millennium BC, the area between the Caucasus and Zagros mountain ranges has served as a crucial hub for horse breeding. A significant challenge in studying this region has been the methodological bias favoring historical sources, which emphasize Eurasian nomadic rider groups as the exclusive drivers of horse breeding and trade in the Near East during the Iron Age. By thinking through the concept of horse economy, an interconnected system of activities spanning animal husbandry, trade, military uses, metallurgy, animal training, and artistic practices, CENTAURIA seek to emphasize the multiplicity of horse breeding centres and how the development and expansion of this mobility technology relates to changes in socioeconomic relations within and beyond the mountainous regions neighbouring the advanced civilizations of Mesopotamia.Using a combination of archaeological and archaeogenetic data, the research seeks to uncover the complex social structures in which equids played a critical socio-economic role. CENTAURIA relies heavily on archaeological evidence, particularly horse burials in the South Caucasus and northwestern Iran, to examine how the evolution of the significance of horses and other equids impacted social dynamics during the Iron Age.While drawing insights from historical records of empires like the Neo-Assyrian and Urartian kingdoms, as well as from the Eurasian nomadic groups, CENTAURIA's primary focus is on material culture. By integrating archaeogenetic data with archaeological evidence, the project contextualizes genetic information within specific cultural, historical, and geographic frameworks. In doing so, CENTAURIA challenges the dominant view of Eurasian nomadic rider groups as the sole drivers of horse breeding and trade in the Near East, emphasizing instead how horse economies reshaped social, symbolic, economic, and more-than-human relations in the region during the Iron Age.
Beneficiaries (1)
| Organisation | Country | Role | EC contribution | SME |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS | FR | coordinator | €242,261 |
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