Horsepower: How Horses and Metal Connected First Millennium BCE China and Mongolia: Dr. Chris Gosden, Professor Emeritus of European Archaeology at the University of Oxford and Principal Investigator for the ERC funded Horsepower Project
On Monday 24 November 2025, Chris Gosden, Professor Emeritus of European Archaeology at the University of Oxford, joined us to discuss Horsepower, an ERC-funded project for which he is the Principal Investigator.
In this lecture, Chris presented the project in three parts: (1) Horses, (2) Metalwork and (3) Ritual. In doing so, he demonstrated how he and his co-investigators are utilising a combination of advanced scientific methods, social science and world-class archaeology to generate unique insights into the extraordinary history of the first states of China and Mongolia. As the findings so far have revealed, although very different, these neighbouring empires shared a belief in the afterlife and a love of horses, depending on them for transport, war and sacrifice—ritually killing thousands to appease the spirits of the universe. Throughout the talk, Chris presented some of the project’s latest discoveries, explained their significance, and concluded by discussing the next phases of the project and what the team hopes to achieve in the coming years.
The Horsepower project itself is an ambitious interdisciplinary study exploring the deep history of interaction between China, Mongolia and the wider Eurasian steppe from roughly 2000–0 BCE. At its core is the idea that early states in this region were shaped by two major forces: the movement of horses southwards into China and the movement of metals northwards into the steppe. By focusing on these intertwined flows - economic, technological and symbolic - the project seeks to understand how neighbouring societies influenced one another’s political structures, rituals and cosmologies. To achieve this, the team combines cutting-edge scientific analysis (including ancient DNA, metallurgical characterisation and radiocarbon dating) with theoretical approaches from the social sciences, producing a richly layered picture of cultural exchange and state formation. It is also a profoundly collaborative effort, bringing together researchers from Europe, Mongolia and China. Fieldwork campaigns across Mongolia and China, alongside a strong programme of public engagement, ensure that the project contributes both to global scholarship and to local archaeological communities. Through this innovative blend of science, theory and international partnership, Horsepower aims to reshape our understanding of how early states emerged, interacted and imagined their place in the cosmos. For more information on the project see their website: www.horsepowerproject.org
About the Speaker:
Chris Gosden is a preeminent figure in the world of international archaeology. His experience ranges from Papua New Guinea to Turkmenistan and from Borneo to Britain. He held positions at the University of Oxford for nearly thirty years, first as a curator-lecturer at the Pitt Rivers Museum and then as Professor of European Archaeology, a post he has just retired from. Recent projects include a history of the English landscape and identity and a study of Celtic art in Britain and Europe with its connections to Eurasia. He is a trustee of the British Museum, a member of the Board of Visitors of the Ashmolean Museum and a fellow of learned societies including the British Academy and the Society of Antiquaries.