Huang Zexian, Ma Qiang, Zhang Chengrui, Cheng Ruoxin, Hou Furen, Wu Yi, Luo Feng, Li Yue
Collaborative Research Centre for Archaeology of the Silk Roads, Northwest University, Xi'an 710127, China.
School of Cultural Heritage, Northwest University, Xi'an 710127, China.
Animals (Basel). 2024 Jul 18;14(14):2106. doi: 10.3390/ani14142106.
Post-mortem fetal extrusion, also known as "coffin birth", refers to the phenomenon where a fetus is pushed out of a deceased female due to pressure from decomposing gas in the abdominal cavity. While post-mortem fetal extrusion has been documented in humans at several archaeological sites, there are few reports of it occurring in non-human animals. In this study, we present a case of post-mortem fetal extrusion in equids observed in a chariot-horse pit (CMK2) at the Western Zhou period site of Yaoheyuan in northwestern China, dating to the early first millennium BC. This specific pit, one of four excavated at the site, contained at least 29 horses and 3 wooden chariots. Most of these horses were young adults aged between 4 and 12 years. Out of the 22 horses with sex estimates, 21 were males. Among these individuals, one adult female horse (Horse 6) and one infantile horse (Horse 10) were of particular importance. Based on the age-at-death, sex, and head orientation of the two individuals, alongside their spatial relationships, it is highly likely that Horse 6 was the fetus of Horse 10 and was extruded in the pit. According to the parturition stage of Horse 10, Horse 6 was likely interred in CMK2 in late spring or early summer of the year, during which the relatively high temperature may have generated gas that led to the extrusion of the fetus. Although the specific reason for the inclusion of a pregnant mare in a chariot-horse pit at Yaoheyuan remains a topic for future research, this case marks the first report of post-mortem fetal extrusion in archaeological horses. The findings offer insights into the timing of horse interment as part of ritual practices among the settled elites during the Bronze Age in China and provide valuable reference data for contemporary equine veterinary science.
死后胎儿挤出，也被称为“棺内分娩”，指的是由于腹腔内腐败气体的压力，胎儿被从已故女性体内挤出的现象。虽然在几处考古遗址中已记录到人类出现死后胎儿挤出的情况，但关于非人类动物出现这种情况的报道却很少。在本研究中，我们呈现了一例在中国西北部姚河塬西周时期遗址的车马坑（CMK2）中观察到的马类死后胎儿挤出案例，该遗址可追溯至公元前一千纪早期。这个特定的坑是该遗址发掘出的四个坑之一，里面至少有29匹马和3辆木战车。这些马大多是年龄在4至12岁之间的年轻成年马。在22匹有性别估计的马中，21匹是雄性。在这些个体中，一匹成年母马（6号马）和一匹幼马（10号马）尤为重要。根据这两个个体的死亡年龄、性别、头部朝向以及它们的空间关系，6号马极有可能是10号马的胎儿，并且是在坑中被挤出的。根据10号马的分娩阶段，6号马可能是在当年的晚春或初夏被埋葬在CMK2中的，在此期间相对较高的温度可能产生了气体，导致胎儿被挤出。尽管将一匹怀孕母马纳入姚河塬车马坑的具体原因仍是未来研究的课题，但这一案例标志着考古发现的马类死后胎儿挤出的首次报道。这些发现为了解中国青铜时代定居精英阶层仪式活动中马的埋葬时间提供了见解，并为当代马兽医科学提供了有价值的参考数据。
