An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c6.s6.3

v1.c6.s6.3

1.6.2 *Equus caballus* (horse). The horse was primarily domesticated for labour and transport. There are no examples of its ancestral forms in India. Wild caballine horses were widespread in prehistoric and early historical Europe and Asia. Their descendants have either become extinct (e.g. Ukranian tarpan) or been domesticated, and only the Mongolian horse survives in a wild state. It appears likely that the horse was domesticated in *c.* 2000 B.C. in the region around Turkestan, although Europe and w. Asia are considered as alternative centres. Thence movements occurred both to the e. and w., and by *c.* 2000 B.C. it is found in Egypt and Mesopotamia.