David Chaffetz
@davidchaffetz.bsky.social
Author, « Raiders, Rulers, Traders », « Three Asian Divas », « A Journey through Afghanistan ».
These people produced high quality bronze, made from pure ore ferried down the Irtysh River from the Altai mountains. This just goes to show that the Central Asia has been an important civilizational center, not just a space in between.
November 21, 2025 at 12:08 AM
These people produced high quality bronze, made from pure ore ferried down the Irtysh River from the Altai mountains. This just goes to show that the Central Asia has been an important civilizational center, not just a space in between.
The steppe earliest peoples were not as distinctively nomadic as their successors. What is notable about Semiyarka is the size, 140 hectares (350 acres), significantly bigger than the largest cities of the nearby Oxus civilization, and much bigger than other bronze age settlements in Kazakhstan.
November 21, 2025 at 12:08 AM
The steppe earliest peoples were not as distinctively nomadic as their successors. What is notable about Semiyarka is the size, 140 hectares (350 acres), significantly bigger than the largest cities of the nearby Oxus civilization, and much bigger than other bronze age settlements in Kazakhstan.
The steppe tradition has always been to avoid inbreeding. But modern life requires horses optimised for racing, or on the other hand, meat and milk.
October 29, 2025 at 1:56 PM
The steppe tradition has always been to avoid inbreeding. But modern life requires horses optimised for racing, or on the other hand, meat and milk.
These breeds are for the most part, the legacy of Russian/Soviet efforts to raise bigger horses by crossing Thoroughbreds or Orlov Trotters with local horses. It turns out that these mix-breeds were healthier. Surprise!
October 29, 2025 at 1:56 PM
These breeds are for the most part, the legacy of Russian/Soviet efforts to raise bigger horses by crossing Thoroughbreds or Orlov Trotters with local horses. It turns out that these mix-breeds were healthier. Surprise!
I've gotten very interested in the Europe-Asian liminality that these Polish Arabians represent, and it's inspiring me to learn more about the role of the horse in Polish and eastern European history. Maybe the subject for another book.
October 21, 2025 at 6:55 PM
I've gotten very interested in the Europe-Asian liminality that these Polish Arabians represent, and it's inspiring me to learn more about the role of the horse in Polish and eastern European history. Maybe the subject for another book.
While his sire hails from Qatar, his dam belonged to the oldest stud on today's Polish territory, Janów Podlaski. This stud has specialised in breeding Arabian horses for over a hundred years. The saga of Polish Arabians continues.
October 21, 2025 at 6:54 PM
While his sire hails from Qatar, his dam belonged to the oldest stud on today's Polish territory, Janów Podlaski. This stud has specialised in breeding Arabian horses for over a hundred years. The saga of Polish Arabians continues.
A heroic Polish cavalry officer, Stefan Zamoyski, scoured Germany to recover these animals and returned them to Poland. Proton, Pope Leo's new horse, came from a stud in Kołobrzeg, founded in 1997 by two brothers, the Michałski.
October 21, 2025 at 6:54 PM
A heroic Polish cavalry officer, Stefan Zamoyski, scoured Germany to recover these animals and returned them to Poland. Proton, Pope Leo's new horse, came from a stud in Kołobrzeg, founded in 1997 by two brothers, the Michałski.
In the 19th century the Poles could boast of a flourishing race of Polish Arabians. At the conclusion of the Second World War Poland lost the studs of Podolia to Soviet Ukraine. The Germans had, meanwhile, seized the Arabians and driven them back to Germany during their retreat.
October 21, 2025 at 6:53 PM
In the 19th century the Poles could boast of a flourishing race of Polish Arabians. At the conclusion of the Second World War Poland lost the studs of Podolia to Soviet Ukraine. The Germans had, meanwhile, seized the Arabians and driven them back to Germany during their retreat.
After the wars of Napoleon, Count Seweryn Rzewuski travelled, disguised as a Bedouin, to Damascus to buy Arabian stallions on behalf of the crowned heads of Europe. He had some difficulty getting these horses, used to the heat of Arabia, to cover his mares in cold and rainy Northern Europe.
October 21, 2025 at 6:52 PM
After the wars of Napoleon, Count Seweryn Rzewuski travelled, disguised as a Bedouin, to Damascus to buy Arabian stallions on behalf of the crowned heads of Europe. He had some difficulty getting these horses, used to the heat of Arabia, to cover his mares in cold and rainy Northern Europe.