16 September 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Ancient Mesopotamians bred horse-like hybrids

New research finds that Mesopotamians were utilizing hybrids of domesticated donkeys and wild asses to drive their war wagons 4,300 years ago – at least 500 years before horses were bred for the purpose.

Archaeologists excavating in modern-day Syria discovered the full remains of 25 horse-like animals in a stunning burial complex that also held human skeletons and gold, silver, and other precious materials in the early 2000s. The graves, which date back 4,300 years, were discovered in the ancient Mesopotamian city of Umm el-Marra

Many of the equids had been killed, maybe sacrificed, before being buried. Their bones were not like those of horses, donkeys, asses, or other contemporary equids. For years, scientists wondered if these were the remnants of kungas, strong horse-like hybrids highly treasured by the Mesopotamians and recorded in numerous written documents.

The examination of ancient DNA from animal bones discovered in northern Syria answers a long-standing mystery about the “kungas” recorded in ancient records as pulling war wagons.

Equid burial from Umm el-Marra, Syria
Equid burial from Umm el-Marra, Syria. Photo: © GLENN SCHWARTZ / JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY

The equid bones unearthed at Umm el-Marra were hybrids, probably definitely the mythical kungas, according to genetic study, making them the earliest-known hybrids developed by humans. The researchers behind the discovery, which was published (January 14) in Science Advances, also determined which species the Mesopotamians most likely mixed together thousands of years ago to generate kungas, which had previously been unknown.

The new study shows, that kungas were strong, fast, and yet sterile hybrids of a female domestic donkey and a male Syrian wild ass, or hemione — an equid species native to the region.

Despite the fact that the best sample from any of the Umm el-Marra equids contained just a tiny fraction of the animal’s original genome, the team was still able to detect thousands of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the DNA. This allowed them to compare the genomes of various equids—including horses, donkeys, and different wild asses such as Persian onagers from Iran, kiangs from Tibet, and khulans from Mongolia—to the Umm el-Marra equids.

One of the study’s authors, Jill Weber, excavating equid burials (installation A) at Umm el-Marra, Syria
One of the study’s authors, Jill Weber, excavating equid burials (installation A) at Umm el-Marra, Syria. Photo: © GLENN SCHWARTZ / JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY

The analysis relied on genomes recovered from some of the last-surviving Syrian wild asses and one ancient Syrian wild ass genome from an 11,000-year-old specimen found at the Göbekli Tepe Neolithic archaeological site in modern-day Turkey.

”The Syrian wild ass at the time, prehistoric times, was much larger,” explains study co-author Eva-Maria Geigl. The authors note how their study backs up previous research suggesting that the smaller, more recent Syrian wild asses were likely dwarfed forms, with taller individuals being the norm for this species in ancient times.

the Standard of Ur
The Standard of Ur 2600 BC. (Littauer & Crouwel)

Capturing Syrian wild asses would have been extremely difficult for ancient breeders due to their quick, undomesticated nature. “This would explain why these kungas were so expensive and prestigious,” Geigl says.

 In ancient texts, kungas are described as costing up to six times as much as a donkey. They were also listed in dowries for royal marriages and were used to pull chariots belonging to members of the elite.

They were prized as war animals, too. A 4,600-year-old artifact called the Standard of Ur, a wooden box found in modern-day Iraq with inlaid depictions of war and peace includes images of kungas pulling battle chariots and trampling enemies in the process.

Ancient records show the successor states of the Sumerians — such as the Assyrians — continued to breed and sell kungas for centuries — and a carved stone panel from the Assyrian capital Nineveh, now in the British Museum, shows two men leading a wild ass they had captured.

The kunga bones for the latest study came from a princely burial complex at Tell Umm el-Marra in Northern Syria, which has been dated to around the early Bronze Age between 3000 B.C. and 2000 B.C.; the site is thought to be the ruins of the ancient city of Tuba mentioned in Egyptian inscriptions.

Related Articles

Hagia Sophia May Collapse: Experts Sound Alarm Over 1,500-Year-Old World Heritage Monument

30 June 2025

30 June 2025

Beneath the grandeur of Hagia Sophia’s golden domes and sacred mosaics lies a ticking time bomb. With over 1,500 years...

A Monument complex and inscription belonging to Ilteris Kutlug Kagan, the founder of the Eastern Göktürk Khanate, were found

24 August 2022

24 August 2022

A Turkish inscription of İlteriş Kutlug Kağan was found during the joint scientific archaeological expedition of the International Turkic Academy...

1-meter tall bronze statue found in China’s Sanxingdui Ruins-Video

17 June 2022

17 June 2022

Chinese archaeologists have discovered a 1-meter tall bronze statue at the site of ancient Sanxingdui ruins site in southwest China’s...

Ancient Chinese porcelain worth 1 million euros was stolen from the German museum, sparking anger

15 September 2023

15 September 2023

Nine pieces of historic Chinese porcelain worth around €1 million were stolen from the Museum for East Asian Art (Cologne)...

First Human Figurine of the Mesolithic Era (Circa 9000 Years Old) Discovered in Azerbaijan’s Damjili Cave

19 April 2025

19 April 2025

A groundbreaking discovery has been made in the Damjili Cave in Azerbaijan’s Gazakh district: the first human figurine from the...

Ancient DNA Reveals Missing Link in the Origins of Indo-European Languages Spoken by 40% of the World

6 February 2025

6 February 2025

A study published in the journal Nature has genetically identified the origins of the Indo-European language family, which includes over...

9 Relics of Neanderthal Found in The Guattari Cave

8 May 2021

8 May 2021

Archaeologists in Italy have discovered the remains of nine Neanderthals who were reportedly killed and mauled by hyenas in their...

Archaeologists may have found the Sanctuary of Samian Poseidon described in ancient texts

11 October 2022

11 October 2022

During excavations in the foothills at the ancient acropolis of Samicum in Greece, archaeologists may have found the sanctuary of...

Severed right hands reveal Trophy-Taking practices in Ancient Egypt

2 April 2023

2 April 2023

Twelve severed hands were found in Egypt as part of a horrifying “trophy-taking” practice that was just made revealed by...

Hannibal’s Italian Ally: 170 Meters of Fortifications and 450 Roman Lead Projectiles Discovered

20 June 2025

20 June 2025

Archaeologists in Ugento, a city in southern Italy that once sided with Hannibal during the Second Punic War, have uncovered...

Cyprus’ Lost Terracotta Warriors: Unearthing a 2,500-Year-Old Army at Agia Eirini

23 May 2025

23 May 2025

Hidden beneath the sands of time in the tranquil Morphou Bay lies Agia Eirini (Turkish: Akdeniz), a seemingly quiet village...

3600 years old Unique ancient drinking bowls on display at Boğazkale Museum

15 August 2021

15 August 2021

The 3,600-year-old fist-shaped drinking bowls found in excavations in Hattusa, the capital of the Hittite Civilization, which shaped the Anatolian...

2,000-year-old Roman pewter hoard discovered in Suffolk

4 July 2023

4 July 2023

A rare hoard of Roman pewter has been discovered in Euston, western Suffolk, in eastern England. The rare discovery includes...

Ancient DNA Reveals Surprising Maternal Lineages at Neolithic Çatalhöyük

28 June 2025

28 June 2025

New research, utilizing ancient DNA analysis, is challenging long-held assumptions about kinship and societal structures in one of the world’s...

Archaeologists discover bones of a woman who lived 14,000 years ago at a site in The Iberian Peninsula

13 August 2021

13 August 2021

Archaeologists have discovered the bones of a lady who lived 14,000 years ago, the earliest traces of a modern burial...