Horses Arrived in Sicily Earlier Than Previously Thought

Archaeology Magazine ^ | September 24, 2025 | editors / unattributed

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According to a statement released by The University of South Florida (USF), a new study has upended previous assumptions about when horses first arrived on the island of Sicily. Until recently, archaeologists had thought that the animals were not present there until the early first millennium b.c. New research led by USF archaeological scientist Davide Tanasi indicates that not only did horses live there at least 1,000 years earlier, they were also an integral part of Early Bronze Age Sicilian ceremonies. The evidence comes from a site near Polizzello Mountain where Tanasi and his colleagues recovered a large assemblage of ceramic vessels, including cups, pitchers, and a large pedestal basin, that were used during ancient libation rituals. Surprisingly, proteomic analysis of the organic residues on the interior of the pottery fragments detected a clear biomolecular signature of horse products, especially equine blood. Tanasi believes that the large basin was once the central component of a communal rite and contained horse meat–based foodstuffs, likely in the form of a stew. Participants in the rituals would have scooped portions into smaller bowls and consumed it as part of the religious ceremony. "To prove that the indigenous of Sicily had access to horses 1,000 years before what was traditionally believed has enormous repercussions and substantially alters existing models of horse domestication, utilization and dietary practices," Tanasi said. Read the original scholarly article about this research in PLOS One. To read about Tanasi's residue analysis of a second-century b.c. mug found in Egypt's Fayum Oasis, go to "Artifact: Egyptian Bes Cup."

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