RAIDERS, RULERS, AND TRADERS

Much of the story of human history rides on horseback, according to this appealing study.

“No animal has had as profound an impact on human history as the horse,” writes historian Chaffetz, author of A Journey Through Afghanistan, who provides convincing evidence for this view, tracking four millennia of history. The author’s primary focus is Eurasia and the vast empires of the Mongols and Mughals, although there are plenty of lively, relevant detours. Interestingly, horses were initially domesticated for milk and meat. Mare’s milk, when fermented into an alcoholic drink called ayraq, is still consumed widely by the people of the steppes. When humans discovered that they could ride horses, the first uses were for herding and hunting, but this quickly turned to warfare. With the right pasture conditions, horse populations grew quickly, and the army of Genghis Khan included more than 1 million of them. Chaffetz also delves into the use of horses in the Persian Empire, with Alexander the Great making great use of cavalry and chariots. Aside from military applications, the trading and selective breeding of horses led to important links between cultures. In western Europe, horses played a crucial role in social development, including in agriculture and transport, although overall numbers were limited by the shortage of open grasslands. The Spanish took horses to the New World, and there the equine population exploded. Several Native American tribes quickly incorporated horses into their cultures, as did later waves of white settlers. Chaffetz brings an authoritative tone to his complex tale, and he includes maps, illustrations, a glossary, and a particularly helpful timeline that runs from 20,000 B.C.E. into the mid-20th century. The result is a consistently engaging and highly informative narrative.

Chaffetz ably traces swathes of history across continents, underlining how horses made kingdoms and cultures.