Domestication of horses fundamentally transformed long-range mobility and warfare1. However, modern domesticated breeds do not descend from the earliest domestic horse lineage associated with archaeological evidence of bridling, milking and corralling2–4 at Botai, Central Asia around 3500 bc3. Other longstanding candidate regions for horse domestication, such as Iberia5 and Anatolia6, have also recently been challenged. Thus, the genetic, geographic and temporal origins of modern domestic horses have remained unknown. Here we pinpoint the Western Eurasian steppes, especially the lower Volga-Don region, as the homeland of modern domestic horses. Furthermore, we map the population changes accompanying domestication from 273 ancient horse genomes. This reveals that modern domestic horses ultimately replaced almost all other local populations as they expanded rapidly across Eurasia from about 2000 bc, synchronously with equestrian material culture, including Sintashta spoke-wheeled chariots. We find that equestrianism involved strong selection for critical locomotor and behavioural adaptations at the GSDMC and ZFPM1 genes. Our results reject the commonly held association7 between horseback riding and the massive expansion of Yamnaya steppe pastoralists into Europe around 3000 bc8,9 driving the spread of Indo-European languages10. This contrasts with the scenario in Asia where Indo-Iranian languages, chariots and horses spread together, following the early second millennium bc Sintashta culture11,12.

Les pièces en obsidienne trouvées dans les sites paléolithiques du nord-ouest de la Roumanie sont nombreuses. L'utilisation de l'obsidienne commence à se développer à l'Aurignacien et se poursuit au Gravettien. Elle comprend toutes les phases de la chaîne opératoire (préparation, plein débitage et réaménagement). Les outils en obsidienne sont nombreux dans certains sites. Des analyses chimiques non destructives par spectrométrie de fluorescence des rayons X (XRF) ont été mises en oeuvre sur 232 artefacts en obsidienne provenant des sites de Buşag, Remetea Şomoş I, Călineşti I, Boinesti et Turulung. Les Hommes du Paléolithique supérieur initial et moyen du Nord-Ouest de la Roumanie se sont procurés leur obsidienne directement ou indirectement à partir de sources situées sur le flanc occidental des Carpates jusqu'à une distance de 170 km.

During the new excavations at Boineşti (2005– 2006), Middle Palaeolithic and Aurignacian artefacts have been discovered within the loessic deposits. Three archaeological units (D, C1, C) have been identified. The raw material is varied. IRSL dating of these loessic deposits indicates that the Mousterian material (unit D) belongs to MIS 3 and that the Aurignacian material (units C1 and C) has been reworked during the Holocene. During this reworking episode, the Mousterian artefacts from the lower loessic deposit have been incorporated within the Aurignacian units (C and C1). Refittings of the pieces coming from different archaeological units confirm this interpretation.

The site of Atmageaua Tătărască in Southern Dobrudja has a long occupation sequence, spanning from Boian A, Gumelnita A1, Gumelnița A2, to Gumelnița B. With a few exceptions, the archaeological patterns were not recorded during the excavations. The lithic industry includes 976 pieces, for most of them (72.84%) issued from the level III – Gumelnița A1. After analysing the material from level III, several conclusions arise. At least part of the knapping process was carried out locally, viz. for large and medium-sized blades. This paper puts forward the hypothesis of the presence of a workshop involving specialized knappers for level III. Blade production is predominant, and at least two reduction sequences were identified. Two types of percussion are observed : direct percussion with hard hammer (predominant) and indirect percussion ; conversely, pressure flaking technique is lacking. Tools amount to 36.56% of the assemblage and, supplemented by axes, up to 39.09%. Among the tools, the most numerous are burins (33.46%) and endscrapers (27.69%), followed by retouched blades (19.23%) and truncations (9.23%). Less represented tool groups are notches, sidescrapers, scaled pieces, retouched flakes, becs, as well as an arrow point. It is also worth mentioning composite tools (3.65%) and the reuse of old tools, which were re-shaped into new ones. The raw material is of high quality ; it is also fairly homogenous, giving preference to the local Ravno (93.54%) and Kriva Reka type of Ludogorie chert, yellow-brown and grey Upper Cretaceous flint (Moesian flint), but also a dark blue chert possibly issued fromthe middle Prut valley.

The “ La Vii 1” (Ciuperceni) settlement, situated in the Danube Plain, has been excavated during the last years. A loessic sequence attributed to the MIS 3 because of an IRSL age includes several Upper Palaeolithic assemblages whose characteristics are very similar. The raw material of the most numerous assemblages (level CR) is a local flint for the majority of the artifacts. This assemblage is typical of a workshop site using a hard percussion for the production of blades, bladelets and flakes with different reducing sequences. Because of the scarcity of the tools, it is difficult to precise the cultural attribution of the assemblage which could belong to an Aurignacian, or probably to an original facies. The presence of particular rabots is an outstanding characteristic.