Ancient Indoeuropean and Saka Central Asian horses and domestication - article on paleogenomics*

Salvete Omnes,
I came across this article - Ancient genomic changes associated with domestication of the horse, - published in Science April 2017. Zainolla Samashev, one of the authors, made it available for download and study at academia.  - many thanks
the reseachers exmamined horses from:
 a mare - Sintashta Culture, Chelabinsk Russia - Indoeuropean horse chariots from early Bronze Age (some human DNA discussion here)
 two stallions -  Arzhan I, Tuva, Russia  (Iron Age Scythia)
 13 stallions - Berel kurgan II, Kazakhstan ( Iron Age Scythia)

The article talks about the most ancient of domesticated horses, about the Iron Age Saka/Scythians and their horse husbandry, their breeding methods that did not disrupt natural herd structures (tabun and stallion harems) that resulted in diversity of genetic material in their horse sherds,. Nota bene the researchers found evidence for  horse milking ,  coat colors preference and robust forelimbs ( metacarpal bones - re anatomy and horse conformation - check M. Horace Hayes -Points of Horse and dr Deb Bennett site).

Also, do check this free-access article on this study from the New York Times that does explain the Science article in layman's terms.
note that the Berel kurgan horses (article on Berel horse sacrifice)  were subject  to an older genetic study,  in 2005 - a summary of article available here. Nota bene Yakutia horses alias Yakut Horse (Long Riders Guild Academic Foundation has also an article on the horse) - this unusual horse has a fine article devoted to its genetic origin and makeup - Tracking the origins of Yakutian horses[...]. - can be read here.

*paleogenomics

New book from Siedlce University's Institute of History re headgrear in Persia

Salvete Omnes,
I just downloaded Crowns, hats, turbans and helmets. The headgear in Iranian history. vol I: P re-islamic Period.
Edited by Katarzyna Maksymiuk & Gholamreza Karamian,  Siedlce University of Natural Sciences and Humanities, Institute of History , Siedlce-Teheran 2017.
This book is a fruit of the conference that took place about this time last last year, and I should add that I attended the conference in person in Siedlce, and enjoyed some of the presentations.
 Why not all, you may ask?
Well, not all published here research papers were presented by the researchers in person . 
Cover

table of contents

grab your free copy and study - :)
ps

I am always sketching around the Persians-Parthians and their armor

A Negro Page with Two Horses by Cuyp

Salvete omnes,
long time ago I took an upper level course in art history more or less titled The Art in the Age of Exploration, which was lots of amazing art and 'time-traveling,' so to speak. One of the painting shown during the study was the one below.
Here we have a painting of two fine animals - riding horses - held by a black African page or in the language of the era - a Negro page-, with his master and the second rider in the background, also there are two huntings dogs and popular cows; it is all set  in rather fantastic landscape, unless this is Italy  it was painted by Aelbert Cuyp, Dutch painter of the Golden Era, from the Windsor Castle collection, UK, circa 1652AD.
It is a beautiful painting, full of the famous Cup's golden glow.  I am attaching it for your enjoyment and study.

note the tack here, very interesting mid-XVII century western European horse tack

 In this piece in Guardian the author is making very tall claims , i.e, a portrait of the Barbary (Barb - or North African) horses with a skilled groom
Now, I am bewildered how he arrived at that conclusion??!!
Truly, I am baffled, as these two - bay and gray - look very much like quality hack/hackneys or riding horses from the northern Europe, with evident marks of the northern horses like the large, feathery hooves, long legs, wide chests, long necks, and not-too large heads and ears, taller at withers than in the croup, kind of weak in the loin etc - a sort of lower quality but still acceptable riding horses, for the manege and chase.  Horse that populate Dutch paintings of the Golden Era.
More Cuyp in the future, I hope
enjoy

Karl Dujardin - horses et al

Salvete Omnes,
today we are are visiting the art of Karel Dujardin, Dutch artist active during the 1640s-to-1672 in Western and Southern Europe.
Thanks to the MET donations we can see these etchings in great quality and glory. Note the other quadrupeds - sheep and cows.
Dujradin's art shown below belonged to the genre paintings and etchings called bambocciante, and thus these animals are working equids (even the finely outfitted mules, but mostly horses for rent/hire, pack mules and burros) and mostly nags, not some parade animals in full glory. We could say without hesitation that our master Karel was a great 'animalist.'

and some paintings - whole or details - more at his painting gallery on Wikicommons -
ancient European - Greek and Roman - mythology and Bibilical theme

Hippodaimia's wedding

Conversion of Paul

common subjects - working animals, traveling and daily life in the Italian Penninsula

a horse - detail

soldiers - detail

Tivoli - detail

note the size of the servant horse or pony really - traveling on hired horses in Italy

a gray horse - detail

detail from this painting

traveling in Italy, on rented horses?

enjoy this late November day - tomorrow in Poland there will  be yet another anniversary of the November AD 1830 Uprising... 

nice Baroque rendering of Pallas Athena 

ps
Christmas is but 4 weeks away - Natonial Geographic has the presentation showing the history of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

Horse in the art of Russian painter Alexiei Glukhariov

Salvete omnes,
drinking my first morning coffee I was surfing the net and came across quite many paintings of a contemporary Russian artist and student of the horse  Алексей Глухарёв which I think transcribes as Alexei Glukhariov.
 Here there is  a video where maestro Alexei gives his thoughts on the equine art, horses etc. Another site with more information and gallery of his work. Wikipedia page linked above gives ample listing of his exhibits and publications. I have not found his own page.

What can I say here, his is an amazing art and I just wanted to share with you these images - for the beauty of his brushes,  especially amazing are the Akhal-Tekes - which modern breed Russian Imperial breeders created upon the conquest of the Central Asia Turkmen tribes in 1880-90s.

Enjoy
ps
I do not own any rights to these images and I am corralling them here for the educational and aesthetic purposes. As far as I know all copyrights are owned by the artist himself