Equus ferus caballus during the Protohistoric in Wyoming: Looking for the Horse in the Archaeological Record

Summary

The introduction of Equus caballus (modern horse) into North America during European-American contact altered Native American life on the Plains. The horse influenced a variety of cultural practices including the distance at which resources could be exploited, the amount of material goods that could be transported and war practices. Considering the importance of the horse it should be expected that horse remains would be prevalent in the archaeological record. Despite the impact of the horse on native Plains societies there is a paucity of horse remains in the archaeological record in Wyoming. This paper explores the distribution of horse remains in Wyoming dating to the Protohistoric. Utilizing computer simulations and reanalysis of the remains recovered at the Blacks Fork River site, I examine potential explanations for the low representation of horse remains in the archaeological record on the Plains.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15252