The Anzick site is a prehistoric Clovis-era archaeological site in Park County, Montana. In 1968, a burial pit was discovered at the site that contained the remains of a young child, a horse, and several artifacts. The child was estimated to be about two years old at the time of death and had been buried with a variety of grave goods, including a stone knife, a bone awl, and several beads.
The horse remains are particularly significant because they provide some of the earliest evidence of horse use by Native Americans. The horse is estimated to have been about six months old at the time of death and had been carefully buried with the child. This suggests that horses were highly valued and respected by Native peoples, even at this early stage of horse use.
The artifacts found with the horse remains also provide some insights into how Native peoples raised horses. The bone awl, for example, is thought to have been used for grooming the horse's coat, while the beads may have been used as decoration. These findings suggest that Native peoples took great care of their horses and considered them to be valuable members of their community.
The Anzick site provides important new insights into the relationship between Native peoples and horses. The remains of the newborn foal and the associated grave goods suggest that horses were highly valued and respected by Native peoples, even at this early stage of horse use. These findings challenge traditional notions of Native American horse culture and provide a more nuanced understanding of the complex relationship between humans and animals in the ancient world.
