中国古代家马再考

Rethinking Domestic Horses in Ancient China

一般认为中国的家马出现于商代晚期,近年来通过对殷墟遗址出土马骨进行DNA研究和同位素分析,学者们认识到在早期家马传入阶段,其来源较为复杂,存在来自多种谱系的可能性。近年在新石器时代晚期遗址发现了马骨,有学者认为其属于家马。马的家畜化与其他动物一样,是在家畜驯化过程中,针对动物繁殖,以人为的主动管理取代了自然淘汰的结果.根据这一观点,本文在归纳整理近年来考古发现和研究动向的基础上,对中国古代家马的家畜化过程再次进行了深入探讨。纵观旧石器时代到商代晚期的马骨出土情况,笔者发现,许多新石器时代遗址出土的马骨多为游离齿或部分骨骼残片,这些骨骼残片极有可能为肉食后的残渣遗留。因此与这些新石器时代的马骨骼相比,商代特别是殷墟二期是一个划时代的节点,马与马车及青铜制品共出,马的全身骨骼基本保存完整。从古代DNA分析结果看,这种马的繁盛交易往来从商代晚期就已经开始,考古资料和出土文字材料也显示人与马的密切关系以及中国家马的出现是在商代晚期,虽然在陕西黄土高原地区发现马骨,但是大多数马骨基本均发现于殷墟遗址。由此推测在新石器时代应该没有出现人为介入马匹育种的现象。因此还是应把中国家马的最初出现定在商代晚期,自商代晚期开始,中国才开始了真正意义上的家马利用。

It is generally believed that domestic horses appeared in China during the late Shang period. Recent DNA and isotope analysis on horse remains unearthed from the Yinxu site showed that the sources of domestic horses dur-ing the early stage were diverse, probably from multiple lineages. Recent discoveries of horse remains at late Neolith-ic sites were recognized as domestic horses by some scholars. The domestication of horse, like that of other animals,is the process of active human intervention replacing natural selection in animal reproduction. According to this view,this article makes an in-depth discussion on the domestication of horses in ancient China based on the review of re-cent archaeological discoveries and studies. Considering horse remains from the Paleolithic to the late Shang period,most remains from Neolithic sites were only teeth or bone fragments, which could be left over by meat consump-tion. In contrast to the Neolithic period, the Shang period, particularly the Phase II of Yinxu culture, was a turning point, when horses were buried together with chariots and bronzes, and the complete skeletons were almost preserved intact. Ancient DNA analysis suggested that the trade of horses started during the late Shang period. Archaeological and written records also showed that the beginning of human-horse intimacy and the appearance of domestic horses happened in the late Shang period. Though some horse remains were discovered at the loess plateau in Shaanxi Province, most of which were discovered at Yinxu. It suggests that human intervention in horse breeding did not happen during the Neolithic period. Therefore, the late Shang period should be recognized as the initial stage when domestic horses appeared in China. Since then started the use of domestic horses in a real sense.