This dissertation examines the relationship between horse riding and social dynamics in nomadic Mongolian societies through the analysis of muscle attachment sites on the skeleton called entheses. Nomadic societies have traditionally been portrayed as static, homogenous, and parasitic. While recent archaeological research has shown this view to be inaccurate, little work has been done on the internal dynamics of these societies. The Xiongnu and the Mongols, two of the largest nomadic polities known historically, originated in Mongolia. Histories and evidence from mortuary and landscape studies suggests that there was an increase in social complexity and sexual inequality from the Xiongnu to the Mongol periods. Given the importance of horse riding to these societies, these changes should be evident in the social organization of horse riding in each period. A sample of 86 individuals from both time periods is used to examine potential changes in who was riding horses in each of these societies. Additional samples of 92 Arikara and 103 British individuals are used to investigate if suites of entheses used to identify horse riders can be applied cross-culturally.The results of the cross-cultural skeletal analysis suggest that there is no universal suite of identifying markers for horse riders. Using samples of known riders and non-riders for each culture, suites of entheses for identifying horse riders are developed for both British and Mongolian riding styles. Horse riding in British society during the Post-Medieval period appears to be related to status and this is reflected in which British subsamples were identified primarily as riders. Males and females were both found to ride horses regularly in each Mongolian society; however, the amount of riding done over the life span and between the sexes changed between the Xiongnu and the Mongol period. The meaning of horse riding, and thus who has access to this activity, may be transitioning during the Mongol period, resulting in individuals negotiating for access to this activity. Finally, this study provides a model to use activity performance as a symbol that can be used analytically like any other symbol, including as a proxy for social dynamics.
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