Archaeologists have revealed shocking new findings that horses were present in Sicily much earlier than previously believed, rewriting our understanding of prehistoric Mediterranean societies. A team headed by Davide Tanasi, a professor of digital archaeology at the University of South Florida, has demonstrated not only that horses lived on the island in the Early Bronze Age, in the third millennium BCE, but also that they were at the heart of the diet and ritual life.
Until now, scholars assumed that horses did not arrive in Sicily until the early first millennium BCE. The discovery, published in PLOS One, pushes that timeline back by nearly a thousand years. The revelation emerged from residue analysis on pottery unearthed nearly two decades ago at a settlement on Polizzello Mountain in central Sicily. These vessels, which included pitchers, cups, and a large pedestal basin, were associated with communal libation rituals.
The pottery fragments had been in storage for years, since technology at that time was unable to identify organic residues. Tanasi and his team revisited the material in 2024 using modern proteomic and lipidomic methods.
The results were conclusive: remnants of horse blood and fats had been preserved on nearly half of the fragments analyzed. The detection of the horse-specific protein equine serum albumin provided unambiguous proof of equine-derived products. Lipid examination revealed the presence of animal fats and plant-based ingredients, indicating that the horse meat was cooked, likely stewed, and consumed during ceremonial gatherings.
The significance extends far beyond diet. Archaeologists consider it probable that such rituals were symbolic, possibly concerning fertility, community identity, and the marking of life passages. Among the discoveries was a terracotta phallus, further supporting the interpretation of fertility rites. The large basin is believed to have been the focal point of a group ceremony, during which the participants ate food prepared with horse products, accompanied perhaps by prayers, chanting, and dancing.
This conclusion necessitates a reevaluation of horse domestication and use in island societies. Rather than being absent, horses were purposely woven into the daily and ritualized lives of Sicilian individuals centuries earlier than previously thought. Some scholars suggest it is possible that the horses were imported from the Italian mainland, where early domestication is more securely attested, and then integrated into Sicilian subsistence and ritual practices.
The broader cultural significance is hardly less important. The architecture of the site—a rock enclosure, a boulder niche carved out, and arranged pottery—implies a place replete with symbolic meaning. Such ritual practice may have persisted for centuries, as subsequent Iron Age and Archaic structures at Polizzello also show signs of ceremonial purpose.
Notably, the oldest depiction of a mounted warrior in Sicilian art, dating from the seventh century BCE, was found at the same mountain site, which suggests a powerful cultural memory linked to horses.
In addition to rewriting the prehistory of Sicily, the study illustrates how advances in biomolecular techniques can illuminate clandestine aspects of life far in the past.
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