The 2024 China Archaeological Conference on Flora and Fauna is ongoing in Zhengzhou, Henan, running from October 22 for three days. During the event, researchers revealed a remarkable finding at the Yaoheyuang site in Ningxia, where they discovered evidence of a horse giving birth after death.
Located in Pengyang County, the Yaoheyuang site dates back to the early Western Zhou period and extends into the early Spring and Autumn period. It is currently recognized as the most northwestern city site of a vassal state during the Western Zhou era.
According to Huang Zexian, a doctoral student from Northwest University, his team uncovered a single adult female horse in the second horse pit (CMK2) at the Yaoheyuang site. Designated as Horse 6, the mare was 15 years old at the time of her death. Within her pelvic area and abdominal cavity, they found the teeth and bones of a very young horse, identified as Horse 10.
Huang explained that Horse 10’s skull was found right next to the pelvic and thigh bones of Horse 6, in the position consistent with a birth canal. Fragments of the radius, pelvis, tibia, and vertebrae were scattered in the back of Horse 6’s abdominal cavity, and these bones were fragile and underdeveloped, indicative of a juvenile. Further investigation suggested that Horse 10 could have been a fetus that had been in utero for at least nine months.
Modern livestock data indicate that horses have a gestation period of around 11 months, with breeding typically occurring between the ages of 3 and 15. Considering the age, sex, and anatomical location, it is highly likely that Horse 10 was the fetus of Horse 6, which died during gestation and was buried thereafter.
Huang noted that the concept of giving birth post-mortem is rooted in modern forensic science, referring to the process where decomposition gases build up after a pregnant woman’s death, causing the fetus to be expelled. Evidence of this phenomenon has been documented in archaeological studies in countries such as Russia and Italy. Researchers believe this concept may also apply to other viviparous animals.
This research marks the first publication of post-mortem birth in an archaeological context involving animals, shedding light on the management and utilization of horses during the Western Zhou period at the Yaoheyuang site. It also provides new insights into equine burial practices in China’s Bronze Age nobility and offers valuable reference data for modern veterinary medicine.
