Dan Davis Author

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In Central Asia, 3500 BC, five and a half thousand years ago, lived sedentary hunter-gatherers who specialised in the hunting of horses. For centuries, generation after generation lived on almost nothing but horse meat. It’s also possible that they domesticated horses here, keeping them in corrals in their villages, for their milk and meat. They might even have ridden these horses and used them for hunting the wild horse populations, riding on their backs with spears and bows and arrows in hand. If so, this would be an independent horse domestication process from that which led to our domesticated horses today. So who were these people? Where did they come from and how did they live? What is the evidence that they managed and domesticated horses? And what ultimately happened to them? This is the story of the incredible horse hunters of prehistoric Central Asia, the Botai culture. *If you enjoy my videos please consider supporting the channel* Become a YouTube Channel Member:

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*Sources* The Oxford Handbook of the Archeology of Hunter-Gatherers:

Peter de Barros Damgaard et al. ,The first horse herders and the impact of early Bronze Age steppe expansions into Asia.Science360,eaar7711(2018) Jeong, C. et al. The genetic history of admixture across inner Eurasia (2019) Alan K. Outram et al. ,The Earliest Horse Harnessing and Milking (2009) Gaunitz et al, Ancient genomes revisit the ancestry of domestic and Przewalski’s horses (2018) Wilkin, S., Ventresca Miller, A., Fernandes, R. et al. Dairying enabled Early Bronze Age Yamnaya steppe expansions. Nature 598, 629–633 (2021) Librado, P., Tressières, G., Chauvey, L. et al. Widespread horse-based mobility arose around 2,200 BCE in Eurasia. Nature (2024) Alan K. Outram, Horse domestication as a multi-centered, multi-stage process: Botai and the role of specialized Eneolithic horse pastoralism in the development of human-equine relationships (2023) The above includes affiliate links so we may make a small commission from your purchases at no additional cost to you which is a way to support the channel. *Video Chapters* 00:00 The Botai Culture 01:48 MyHeritage 03:16 Where did they come from? 05:15 Botai settlements 10:15 Horse domestication evidence 16:40 Ancient horse DNA evidence 21:46 The Late 4th Millennium BC World

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and enjoy a special discount on your first month #advert The Minoan Civilisation of Bronze Age Crete is world famous for the enormous building complexes we know as palaces - and for its exquisite art - expressed in lovely pottery, figurines, and in frescoes of the most exquisite beauty. Many believe that the Minoan civilisation of Bronze Age Crete was a remarkably peaceful society. But what does the evidence tell us? Were there fortified settlements? Does Minoan artwork show weapons and warriors? And what about all those Minoan daggers, swords, spears, and axes in the archaeological record? This is the story of Weaponry and Warfare in Bronze Age Crete. *If you enjoy my videos please consider supporting the channel* Become a YouTube Channel Member:

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*Sources* Oxford Handbook of Aegean Bronze Age:

The Oxford Handbook of the European Bronze Age:

Early Aegean Warrior 5000–1450 BC:

Bronze Age Greek Warrior 1600-1100 BC:

Minoans: Life in Bronze Age Crete:

Malice in Wonderland by Barry Molloy from Warfare and Society in the Ancient Eastern Mediterranean Martial Minoans? War as Social Process, Practice and Event In Bronze Age Crete by Barry Molloy Genetic origins of the Minoans and Mycenaeans:

Ancient DNA reveals admixture history and endogamy in the prehistoric Aegean:

Excavations in the Hagios Charalambos Cave - Betancourt et al 2008 The above links include affiliate links which means we will earn a small commission from your purchases at no additional cost to you which is a way to support the channel. *Thank you* Ancient Europeans for use of artwork:

*Video Chapters* 00:00 Minoan Cvilization 03:25 Neolithic Aegean Warfare 05:02 Peaceful Minoans? 07:48 Settlement fortifications 10:40 Settlement destruction 11:56 Warriors in Minoan Art 15:15 Votive weapons 16:15 Warrior burials and war wounds 18:18 Minoan Weapons 20:17 Minoan armour and shields 21:48 The Double-axe

Be sure to use the code "dandavis" to get 100 free blades when you purchase your Henson razor here: http://hensonshaving.com/dandavishistory The warrior aristocracy of Bronze Age Europe were buried in warrior graves with his personal weaponry - like daggers, swords, and spears. But there were other objects in these graves like hair combs, bronze razors and tweezers, cloak pins, and awls for tattooing the skin, that all speak to a profound interest in clothing, personal grooming and in adorning the warrior. So what can this all tell us about this aristocracy, the beliefs and practices of these elite men, and the nature of masculinity in prehistory? *If you enjoy my videos please consider supporting the channel* Patreon ➜

All my books on Amazon ➜

*My Links* Website http://dandavisauthor.com/ Facebook:

Twitter:

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*Sources* The Oxford Handbook of the European Bronze Age:

The Oxford Handbook of the Bronze Age Aegean:

The Rise of Bronze Age Society - Kristiansen & Larsson:

Warfare in Bronze Age Society - Christian Horn & Kristian Kristiansen ➜

Elevated Rock Art - Johan Ling ➜

Rock Art and Seascapes in Uppland Johan Ling ➜

The Warrior's Beauty - Paul Treherne:

Looking Sharp - Dutch Bronze Age razors and tweezers in context Arnoldussen & Steegstra: DOI:

Nordic Late Bronze Age Razors - Very Like a Whale - E. Warmenbol Shaving the Warrior - Mikkel Nørtoft The above links include affiliate links which means we will earn a small commission from your purchases at no additional cost to you which is a way to support the channel. *Thank you* Nordic Bronze Age canoe war band art by Hodari:

Tristan S Rapp:

Ancient Days:

National Museum of Denmark:

*Video Chapters* 00:00 Bronze Age Warrior Graves 01:41 Sponsorship 03:04 The Rise of the Warrior Aristocracy 05:04 Warrior Journeying 06:17 Warrior Drinking 07:13 Warrior Clothing 07:55 Warrior Grooming 08:32 Origins of Bronze Razors 09:26 Why was it so important? 11:07 Ritual Grooming as Transformation 12:04 Nordic Bronze Age razors 13:21 Shaving as a rite of passage 14:40 Warrior tattoos 15:20 the Nature of the Bronze Age Warrior