09/2026 Professor Cheryl Makarewicz discusses early human-mediated horse mobility on the western Eurasian steppe at the 2nd International Archaeological Symposium in Kazakhstan

In her talk "Human-mediated equine mobility and pathways to early horse husbandry", presented at the 2nd International Archaeological Symposium: "The Great Belt of the Eurasian Steppes: Transformation of Cultures in Time and Space" in Astana, Kazakhstan, Professor Cheryl Makarewicz explored how human-mediated horse mobility may have contributed to early horse management and domestication in the western Eurasian steppe during the Eneolithic. Using high-resolution strontium, carbon, and oxygen isotope analyses of equine bones and teeth from (E)neolithic settlements, her research investigates diverse pathways of human–horse interactions. The findings highlight the need to understand animal domestication as a multi-centered process shaped by complex interspecies relationships.