How the Mongols used horses to create an empire - William T. Taylor
Explore how the domestication of horses influenced the fate of entire civilizations and dramatically altered human history.
--
People have been captivated by horses for a long time. They appear more than any other animal in cave paintings dating back 30,000 years. But how did horses make the journey from wild animals to ones humans could hitch themselves to and even ride? William T. Taylor explores how the domestication of horses influenced the fate of entire civilizations and dramatically altered human history.
Lesson by William T. Taylor, directed by Denys Spolitak.
William T. Taylor's research for this project was supported by an award from the National Science Foundation (NSF Award number 1949305, "Horses and Human Societies in the American West").
Support Our Non-Profit Mission
----------------------------------------------
Support us on Patreon: bit.ly/TEDEdPatreon
Check out our merch: bit.ly/TEDEDShop
----------------------------------------------
Connect With Us
----------------------------------------------
Sign up for our newsletter: bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletter
Follow us on Facebook: bit.ly/TEDEdFacebook
Find us on Twitter: bit.ly/TEDEdTwitter
Peep us on Instagram: bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram
----------------------------------------------
Keep Learning
----------------------------------------------
View full lesson: ed.ted.com/lessons/how-horses...
Dig deeper with additional resources: ed.ted.com/lessons/how-horses...
Animator's website: instagram.com/ickysketch?igsh...
Music: www.campstudio.co
----------------------------------------------
Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Heidi Stolt, Nicole Sund, Karlee Finch, Mario Mejia, Denise A Pitts, Doug Henry, Keven Webb, Mihai Sandu, Deepak Iyer, Javid Gozalov, Kyanta Yap, Rebecca Reineke, William Biersdorf, Patricia Alves Panagides, Yvette Mocete, Cyrus Garay, Samuel Barbas, LadyGeek, Marin Kovachev, Penelope Misquitta, Hans Peng, Gaurav Mathur, Erik Biemans, Tony, Michelle, Katie and Josh Pedretti, Hoai Nam Tran, Kack-Kyun Kim, Michael Braun-Boghos, zjweele13, Anna-Pitschna Kunz, Edla Paniguel, Thomas Mungavan, Jaron Blackburn, Venkat Venkatakrishnan, ReuniteKorea, Aaron Henson, Rohan Gupta, Begum Tutuncu, Brian Richards, Jørgen Østerpart, Tyron Jung, Carsten Tobehn, Katie Dean, Ezgi Yersu, Gerald Onyango, alessandra tasso, Doreen Reynolds-Consolati, Manognya Chakrapani, Ayala Ron, Eunsun Kim and Phyllis Dubrow.
Horses went from pulling the cart, to being replaced by the automobile, then being pulled BY the cart. Horses win.
If they took over the world, I wouldn't be mad or surprised, because they got pretty close to it before.
Pulled by the cart to the glue factory.
When did they get pulled BY the cart??? Didn't they pull the cart? Or is there something I'm missing
@@raymondqiu8202 horse trailers in the back of cars where owners transport their horses
@@richardthompson6366 Not anymore. We don't make glue out of horses anymore. But the cart can go to a slaughterhouse for meat.
As a horse myself, I'm glad to see our history covered
You guys need more representation for sure.
neighh - 'agree'
Holy sh I thought I commented this
@@myrealnameismichael lmao
@@myrealnameismichael you did
One thing not mentioned is how much selective breeding has impacted the size of horses. Wild horses usually weigh 600-800 pounds, while domesticated horses are usually over 1,000 pounds, with some heavy draft horses weighing over a ton. When you consider that horses shouldn't carry more than 20% of their weight, yet can pull up to 1.5x their own weight if the load is on wheels, then it's clear why chariots came before mounted cavalry.
1000 kilograms of (almost) nothing but muscle
@@seabass273I find that pretty incredible.
Horses have a great memory and can remember people and places for many years. They can also remember specific training exercises and respond better to trainers they've worked with before.
Good fact I remember the local stable telling us that u can lightly blow in their nostril and they’ll remember you
Can confirm. When I was 12, I was learning to ride a horse. 20 years later, that horse is still, somehow, alive and remembers me. Too old to ride, but I gave him a hug. (Looked up the average age for horses. Cash doesn't have much longer. You will be missed, old friend.)
@@jagirl966 wait wtf u know cash or is that just a common name??????? Iowa state?
So like 70-90% of mammals?
@@derekpapin2181 Cash is the horse's name and you're off by a state. We live east of the Mississippi River.
"um, ok" the first ridden horse
It's really amazing how much horses have helped us, yet they are commonly overlooked. When we see roman civilizations and their inventions, we miss the fact how horses have been pulling the chariot to their success in their daily lives every day. In dramatic Crusades with valiant knights, we don't see the warhorses they ride. They really have led us to the path to innovation.
All european civilizations(and people for that matter) descend from chariot riding people of the eurasian steppe. Without horses that wouldnt have happened, a very integral animal of the human history.
Overlooked by who exactly? Most people know the importance of horses. Literally vehicles power is measured by 'Horsepower'
The crusades weren't very valiant, more like slaughtering people
@@erickariuki6842 overlooked just by her 😂 she's speaking as if she represents humanity.
Although, they are used less, they are FAR from being overlooked. They're still used/shown by: -Movies -TV shows -Advertisements -Games/Sports -Resorts -Police/Royal guards -Logos There are a bunch of other things, but that would make the list too long.
No matter which time period people are in, they all collectively agree that horses will always be majestic creatures
as a central Asian I can say that in our culture horses have a really important role, horse is one of the 7 treasures in Kazakh culture and there are a lot of customs that are related to horses, incredible animals!!🤍
@Olaf ❤️
In a Kazakhstan, we say horse is like man.
And you eat the most horse meat in the world
Only two animals have a natural positive response to humans smiling; dogs and horses. That tells you everything you need to know about how important they’ve been to our culture and how closely we’ve evolved together. Even though I’m nervous around horses mostly because they’re so big I can still see the close bonds they have with their owners.
You are forgetting cats
@@Ikajo no. They don’t automatically like when humans smile. They have to learn to see it as something positive.
How about rabbit?
@@dingdud6602 Most animals don't like when people show their teeth. That include dogs, btw. Humans tend to show their teeth when smiling. When we don't, our pets have a positive reaction because that usually means we are paying attention to them
Pretty sure they react more to sound than smiles, but eh
I like how the animators managed to make the visuals simple yet powerful in telling the story. It was a pleasure to watch, as always!
Gengghis khan said “it’s easy to conquer on horseback, but it’s hard to control over it when unmounted”
We've forgotten that one of the selling points of early cars was it was environmentally friendly. It didn't poop all over the place.
OH WOW, HORSES DO NOT INCREASE GLOBA WARMING, THAT'S SOMETHING YOUR CARS DO HAH-
@@thewasabithatmakesyoongicryTbf horses probably do also contribute to global warming a bit. Like cows, they'll emit some methane from digestion. Feeding anything that big will also use up a lot of farmland that could've been natural wilderness. The reason no one will talk about them contributing to global warming like cows do is just that in comparison to other livestock there aren't that many horses raised anymore.
Sure but cars "poop" constantly too and right into the air no less. Of course this CO₂ "poop" is odorless and transparent so its easier to keep out of sight and out of mind which humans are so good at sweeping problems under the rug. Cars emit a surprising 20-lbs of CO₂ per _every_ gallon of gasoline burned. Just a single average family car will poop out about 5-tons of CO₂ per year! Then there's the cancerous and toxic emissions like NOₓ, SOₓ, benzene and a host of other volatile vaporized hydrocarbons & particulate matter (PM) right out the tailpipe even with a catalytic converter.
@@RealUlrichLeland Maybe a bit due to the intense greenhouse gas effect of methane (CH₄). But this carbon that horses, cows and indeed _all_ animals emit was pulled from the biosphere and returns to the biosphere in "net zero" cycle. For that reason, its not as hazardous as _fossil fuel_ carbon at all. Because fossil fuels are pulled from _deep_ (kilometers) within the Earth's crust where it has been completely sequestered out of the biosphere for millions of years. Then that carbon is emitted freely into the atmosphere where it does *not* belong. Its being done at prodigious rates now at a massive 37 *billion* tons per year! The Earth's atmosphere is now at 421-PPM CO₂ concentration which is a level not seen on Earth in over 4-million years dating back to Pliocene epoch. Similarly CH₄ levels are now at over 1919-PPB where most its ever been in the past 1-million years is like 900-PPB!
Cars will last than 200 years. Horses 1000s lol
I hope this guy never stops being the narrator
Same, he’s my favorite!
Fr, I'd be sad if he's gone
That last smile,😃 I still remember those old days
Meanwhile, I've always wondered why I've always really liked horses when I was a young boy. Thinking beyond just chalking it up to being a personal preference, I nowadays can't help but wonder if there's some epigenetic component to some of us taking a liking to them given our whole history.
As a horse person, I am very impressed with the animation. It actually looks like a horse, and walks and gallops like a horse.
That's so fascinating! Our crew recently talked about the history of the bison in North America that once roamed in their millions across the great plains of the USA. Unfortunately, these one-ton prairie giants were hunted to the brink. At one point, only around 300 were left. Thanks to conservation efforts, there are now roughly 20,000 living on wild grassland and some 500,000 on ranches. But until recently, no bison roamed truly wild in the United States, away from fences or human protection. Now, though, all that's changing, and we got it on camera.
Not only magnificent to look at, they're important to the grasslands they roam.
We might be seeing the same thing on the other side of the Atlantic, the European bison went almost extint but they managed to save the last populations and many regions are considering reintroducing it
TedEd videos are great in general, but their videos on animals are the absolute best. Can’t wait for the next one
Turns out that humanity has been horsing around for a long time. Did I know how long before this video? Neigh.
@Citizen Of Earth Why the long face?
Spending my life with horses I realize how lucky and blessed that they are my passion ❤ they have forever changed society, and our own lives!
As a fan of My Little Pony I have to agree that horses are truly man's best animal friend.
o no the jar
@@Lacter12😨
/)
Glad I didn't have to make this comment
(Batman interrogation voice) WHERE IS SHE?! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!
Always respected zebras the most because you aint gonna be doin' no riding on top of it for very long. They refuse to break. Fascinating.
Pfft. Then how did they make "Racing Stripes," huh?
I liked the way the horse's eyes were rolled back at 1:04 :)
Horses are amazing, and props to the artists for accurate movements and fluid animations!
Wow, watching this is way better than doing homework!
Great job, Will! Also thanks for recommending my dog video at the end!
I have been begging for a video on horse for soooooo long! I’m so glad that Ted Ed finally made a video on it! I am a horseback rider, so this video was just so great. I hope Ted Ed will make a video on Princess Diana too! She’s so kind and influential!
Thanks for talking about our Pampa and Gaúchos from Brasil! Even if modern horses are relatively new to the Americas they were - and still are - an intrinsical part of it! 🐴
Like how he smiled at the last scene 😂❤
i love this its amazing and ive loved this channel for many years,could you possibly do a video about horses used in different types of travelling communitys ?:)
Love the animation job on this one
Was really hoping of hearing them talk about Bucephalus,Alexander the Great's 🐎
Did they basically create a city around the Bucephalus tomb.
Love it. Great work!
Please do some stories about kundudo horses . The Kundudo horse comes from the Kundudo mountain in the Oromia region of Ethiopia and they are the oldest known feral horse population in Africa. There is a very interesting history which fit Ted Ed.
Do Namibyan Desert Horses
It wasn't fair to all the horses that got dragged into innumerable battles and wars started by humans against humans
The city featured here @ 3:18, although seeming chinese in architectural tradition, was actually a greco-macedonian settlement, in fact believed to be the farthest of Alexander the Great's many Alexandrias, perhaps Alexandria Eschate
They were very localized by that point.
this is a beautiful animation
Apparently my Name means "Lover of Horses" from Greek translation. after watching this video I think I genuinely Love them more.
Being such a big fan of horses, I want to be reincarnated as such. They literally brought our world history everywhere, as being tackled in this video. They are for me, the most industrious animal who served mankind different services. Hopefully, boys who want to be a strong man in life should learn from these beneficial steeds. They can really learn a lot about manliness from them. Horses are so great, they are the perfect combination of three traits for the functioning of ancient society. The SSA. Strength, Speed and Attitude. Have you ever seen a sheep in war? How about a tiger in a chariot? A carabao in a race?I LOVE THEM, they are SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIUOS.❤❤❤👍😉🐴
Wow love it and animation is very nice.
You are amazing
Amazing Video!
Imagine an alternate timeline in which early Native Americans had sucessfully domesticated horses instead of hunting them to extinction.
Then they would have developed along with the Africans.
nice content and animation
Napoleon: "you, make more rifles! you, build new cannons! and you, make more horses!" worker: "i don't make horses" Napoleon: "then who make horses?" worker: "horses make horses" Napoleon: "explain how!"
*Worker:* "Well, when a daddy horse and a mommy horse love each other very much..." *Napoleon:* "YES. GO ON!" *Worker:* "Well, then the daddy horse..." _(Cuts to five minutes later, and Napoleon propping himself up with a wall)_ *Worker:* "I’m sorry, Napoleon. You're 43. I thought you'd know this stuff." *Napoleon:* "Don't touch me! I'm gonna be sick!" [ **Oversimplified** ] 😂😂😂😂😂😂
Have we thought deeply about the history of the horse?we don't, because we have seen the horse as a riding animal since our birth. Who would possibly knew that horses have a 50,000 year old history. That is why, I love history, It forces us to think differently.
No your just simple
@@willfakaroni5808 *you're
I recall someone claiming that -- due to how we bred horses -- that they're similar to pigeons in that even when "wild" they can be easily "redomesticated"
They're feral, not wild.
@@micahbush5397 that's a much better word, thank you
Nice to see Gauchos in the Animation
This video barely makes mention of the stirrup, which (along with the earlier bit and reins) was the one innovation that transformed the mounted rider and enabled a larger effective cavalry.
1:33 SINTASHTA! They also invented the spoked wheel, war chariot and short recurve horseman’s bow.
2:36 Scythians? You guys are just dog whistling at me now!
3:02 and their direct ancestors the Sintashta are buried in their war chariots with their horses. That’s why I consider Sintashta to BE Scythians.
So fantastic ♥️
Its crazy how long it takes people to invent steps for horse saddle. To put in perspective, by the time they invented, Europe was 400 years into the medieval era.
Stirrups are only for big horses or for ones you want to use one hand to couch Lance, otherwise Stirrups are mid and only for unskilled riders, that's why for an majority of cultures, you first learn to ride without before getting the Stirrups
The entire human society would've not been the same without the aid of these animals.
I've never been able to look a horses the same way ever since I found out that they walk on only one toe per foot. Freaky! 🐴
This episode must have been a pain to animate with all of the running horses.
Amazing
The world map at 1:20 is so weird. What is up with Poland? is it the return of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth? And why is has Sudan not been split?
I love horses so much. I have more 10 in my farm :))
The little scrolls of information at the bottom of the screen are exactly where subtitles appear. Meaning that, with subtitles on, I can't read them Please consider for future videos.
Another important reason for the success of the Turks was their superior military technology and art of war . These nomads from the Steppes could be credited with introducing ' the age of the horse .
Dude why do I keep seeing you everywhere
@@HMMMM._-.Sane Turkish nationalist. Cant even go on a history of horses video without having "TÜRK SUPERIORITY"
Who run the world? HORSE
nice video
this reminds me of that formiddable Ielts writing test
My horse even remembers my name and always says ‘good morning’ when it sees me.
One of my favorite paintings from Lascaux is the “Chinese horse”, but I never really got why they decided to call it that.
I have always loved horses and always wanted one for me. 🤠🏇🏻.
Me too! ❤ 🐎🐎🐎
@@deegassaway6854 Ikr, just the thought of going on a long ride 🐎on a windy green day with my cowboy hat.😍
I wonder what the horses of the Americas would have been like or become if they hadn't died out, I knew that horses had been brought over to the 'New World' but had little idea that horses had once lived there!
history is so amazing😀
Congrats, this is your 2024th video!
Amazing video but the scroll notes that pop up are hidden by the subtitle bars! 😅
They still do the tradition of the Kentucky Derby in Louisville, KY of horse racing. In fact the University of Louisville ends it's spring semester in April instead of May like other colleges around the USA
0:53 something about that extremely-flowy mane and tail movement makes me think that this animator is a hardcore Spirit Stallion of the Cimarron fan 🤔 it looks extremely familiar
This was my Masters Degree thesis 40 years ago.
Hello from Kazakhstan 🇰🇿 hehe
i luv u ted im so happy because i study ted ☆
Not much on working horses in Europe, bread to be large and powerful, known in England as Shire horses. There were also pit ponies in the mines.
So horses were living peacefully in america for 4 milion years until humans appeared there and slaughtered them all in just a thousand years.
So true statements
The video look so perfect off horse 🐴
whenever I read about the lifestyles of Nomadic cultures like the Mongols or proto-Turkic tribes I always find myself admiring their relationships with their animals and the lands they roam. sometimes I wonder if the horse nomad is the truest form of Human Society. in that I mean its the kind of Human society that has changed little from our earliest roots.
The first horse that was brought from Europe to the Americas must have some serious deja vu feeling
1:34 Eeyore’s ancestors & ours were domesticated by the time agriculture began. *Drumroll* Horses are here to help humans travel further than ever!
I just thought about where did horses coming from and this video pops up 😮
Even the Persians had a Horseback Postal System where the Riders were used to deliver letters from one part of the Persian Empire to the other . All of this was Before the Mongols
I just 🤎 HUGE #HORSES🐴🐎🏇 & 💛 all your videos mate👍
Horses are so cool❤❤❤🐎🐴🐴🐴💪💪💪
Emperor Wu of Han didn't only conquer Ferganna for the horses, it was just that Ferganna despised Han dynasty.
The city that the Han emperor destroyed for its horses was actually a Greek colony left over from Alexander the Great's westward expansion.
Wait, that horse art style looks familiar, is that the horse from horsing around?
I have a horse phobia, but I can't deny they are fascinating animals; such a paragon of physical strength and speed
Yeah.
Three of the most sacred animals to mankind are the Horse,Dog & Chicken!
Eventhough @ 0:48 it is a very rough map, excluding Kashmir from India is unwanted TED-Ed. I hope your future videos will correct this.
why is there no sub even though I have CC turned on huhu
It's fascinating that equids originated in North America, yet one of the reasons why Europeans were able to dominate the native people was due to their lack of horses.
I believe ingenious American society would have been much more advanced if it had horses
@@christianweibrecht6555 More were delayed by not using the wheel and barrow on a large scale as they had dogs and llamas that could pull those items.
5:32 🥰
In your map Kashmir is shown as a part of Pakistan instead of India. A mistake I wanted to correct.
you forgot bojack horseman
Why not bring up My Little Pony while you're at it?
Fergane is my country 😅(Uzbekistan🇺🇿)
agreed
Does anyone like horses? Could you give me one thumb up?