How the Mongols used horses to create an empire - William T. Taylor

Prevodilac: Milenka Okuka Lektor: Ivana Korom

People have been captivated by horses for a long time.

Konji opčinjavaju ljude još od davnina.

They appear more than any other animal in cave paintings

Pojavljuju se više od bilo koje druge životinje na pećinskim slikama

dating back 30,000 years.

koje datiraju od pre 30 000 godina.

But how did horses make the journey from wild animals

Međutim, kako su konji prešli put od divljih životinja

to ones humans could hitch themselves to and even ride,

do onih koje su ljudi mogli da upregnu, pa čak i jašu,

determining the fate of civilizations and dramatically altering history?

određujući sudbine civilizacija i drastično menjajući istoriju?

Equids originally evolved in North America.

Konji su prvobitno evoluirali u Severnoj Americi.

Sometime after 4 million years ago,

Nekad pre četiri miliona godina,

ancient equid species began trotting across the Bering land bridge.

drevna konjska vrsta se kasom zaputila preko Beringovog kopnenog mosta.

Eventually, they spread through Eurasia and into Africa,

Vremenom su se proširili Evroazijom i po Africi,

diversifying into the lineages that would lead to modern-day horses,

razdvajajući se u loze koje će da iznedre savremene konje,

donkeys, and zebras.

magarce i zebre.

Early humans, including generations of the first people to live in the Americas,

Rani ljudi, uključujući generacije prvih stanovnika Amerika,

hunted wild horses, sometimes fashioning their bones into tools.

lovili su divlje konje, ponekad oblikujući njihove kosti u alate.

Then, between 15,000 and 5,000 years ago,

Potom, pre između 15 000 i 5 000 godina,

likely because of a changing climate, hunting by humans,

verovatno zbog promene klime, lova od strane ljudi

and competition with bison,

i nadmetanja sa bizonima,

horses disappeared from the American archaeological record.

konji su nestali iz američkog arheološkog zapisa.

But they’d be back eventually.

Međutim, vremenom će se vratiti.

In the meantime, on the other side of the world around 2,000 BCE,

U međuremenu, oko 2 000. g.p.n.e. na drugoj strani sveta,

something very consequential happened:

nešto se izuzetno važno desilo:

people on the western Eurasian steppe domesticated horses.

ljudi sa zapadne evroazijske stepe su pripitomili konje.

By then, people in western Asia had already domesticated many animals

Do tad su ljudi iz zapadne Azije već bili pripitomili mnoge životinje

and begun using some of them to pull carts.

i počeli su da koriste neke od njih za vuču kola.

But, because horses were generally faster and more difficult to control,

Međutim, kako su konji uopšteno bili brži i teži za kontrolisanje,

steppe people developed a bridle-and-bit system

stepski ljudi su razvili sistem od uzde i žvala,

and chariots with lighter, spoked wheels.

kao i karuce sa lakšim točkovima sa prečkama.

Horses were soon integrated into many ancient cultures.

Konji su ubrzo postali sastavni deo mnogih drevnih kultura.

In contrast with horse-drawn charioteering,

Nasuprot karucama koje su vukli konji,

horseback riding appears to have been less common at first.

jahanje je čini se u početku bilo manje zastupljeno.

Archaeological evidence suggests that people who did mount horses

Arheološki nalazi sugerišu da su ljudi koji su jahali konje

during this early stage

tokom ove prve faze

did so without structured saddles or stirrups.

radili to bez sruktuiranih sedala ili uzengija.

This sometimes altered or damaged the skeletons of riders and horses alike.

Ovo je ponekad menjalo ili oštećivalo kosture kako jahača, tako i konja.

People continued breeding for less aggressive horses

Ljudi su nastavili da uzgajaju manje agresivne konje

with greater endurance and weight-bearing abilities.

koji su bili izdržljiviji i sposobniji da nose veći teret.

And they developed techniques and tools for improved control and comfort.

I razvili su tehnike i alate za napredniju kontrolu i udobnost.

After around 1000 BCE,

Nakon oko 1 000. godine p.n.e,

cavalry appeared in combat across much of Asia.

konjica se pojavila u borbama širom većeg dela Azije.

Riders of steppe and desert cultures became renowned

Stepski jahači i pustinjske kulture su postali cenjeni

for their prowess on horseback.

zbog svoje jahačke spretnosti.

Ceremonial horse sacrifice also made its way into the funerary traditions

Ceremonijalno žrtvovanje konja je takođe postalo deo pogrebnih tradicija

of some cultures.

nekih kultura.

One royal Scythian burial site from around the 9th century BCE

Jedno skitsko kraljevsko nalazište iz oko devetog veka p.n.e.

contained the remains of approximately 200 horses fitted with riding gear.

je sadržalo ostatke otprilike 200 konja sa opremom za jahanje.

Officials in ancient China recognized how advantageous horses were

Zvaničnici iz drevne Kine su prepoznali koliki značaj konji imaju

for their neighbors

za njihove komšije

and some coveted larger numbers of them for their own empire.

i neki su žudeli da imaju veći broj konja u svom carstvu.

Around 100 BCE, the Chinese emperor reportedly ordered a 30,000-man army west

Oko 100. g.p.n.e., kineski car je navodno naredio armiji od 30 000 ljudi ka zapadu

that laid siege to a city and had its king killed—

da izvrši opsadu grada i ubije kralja -

all for 3,000 of the so-called “heavenly horses” of Ferghana.

sve zbog 3 000 takozvanih rajskih konja iz Fergane.

Between the 4th and 8th centuries CE,

Između IV i VIII veka nove ere,

steppe horsemen spread riding technologies like stirrups across cultures.

stepski konjanici su proširili jahačke tehnologije poput uzengija širom kultura.

And nomadic groups eventually coalesced into unstoppable forces on horseback.

A nomadske grupe su se vremenom spojile u nezaustavljive konjičke sile.

The Mongol Empire rose to power in the 13th century,

Mongolsko carstvo je postalo vodeća sila u XIII veku,

and raided, traded, and toppled empires over previously unthinkable distances.

harajući, trgujući i rušeći carstva širom nekad nezamislivih udaljenosti.

They developed a horse-backed postal relay system

Razvili su poštanski prenosni sistem potpomognut konjima

that stretched more than 60,000 kilometers.

koji se protezao na preko 60 000 kilometara.

Their imperial successes relied on the well-being of their horses—

Njihov imperijalistički uspeh se oslanjao na dobrobiti njihovih konja -

and leaders knew it.

i vođe su to znale.

In 1252, before launching his next military campaigns,

Godine 1252, pre pokretanja svoje sledeće vojne kampanje,

Möngke Khan sent officials ahead to prohibit cattle grazing

Mongke-kan je poslao zvaničnike da unapred zabrane stočnu ispašu

so there’d be plentiful pastureland for their steeds.

kako bi bilo obilje pašnjaka za njegove atove.

Horses continued to spread,

Konji su nastavili da se šire,

eventually spurring equestrian empires reaching a south of the Sahara.

vremenom iznedrivši konjske imperije koje su dosezale jug Sahare.

By the mid-14th century, the Mali Empire was said to have had

Do sredine XIV veka, veruje se da je Carstvo Mali imalo

a cavalry of more than 10,000

konjicu od preko 10 000 članova

that controlled some 1 million square kilometers of West Africa.

koja je kontrolisala nekih milion kilometara kvadratnih zapadne Afrike.

And by 1500, horses were finally reintroduced to the Americas.

A do 1500. godine, konji su konačno ponovo dovedeni u Amerike.

They appear to have escaped Spanish control rapidly

Čini se da su brzo utekli španskoj kontroli

as Indigenous people from the Pampas to the Great Plains

jer su ih domoroci iz Pampi pa sve do Velikih ravnica

exchanged them via expansive trade networks.

razmenjivali putem prostranih trgovinskih mreža.

Colonization and trade spread horses even further around the globe.

Kolonizacija i trgovina su raširile konje još dalje širom sveta.

And well into the 20th century they were a widespread and essential means

I dobrim delom XX veka su bili rasprostranjeno i osnovno sredstvo

of travel and transport.

za putovanje i transport.

This didn’t come without problems:

Uz to su išli i problemi:

issues of hygiene and animal welfare emerged,

iskrsla su pitanja higijene i životinjske dobrobiti,

especially in cities.

naročito u gradovima.

And many human hubs transformed with the introduction

A mnoge ljudske sredine su transformisane dolaskom

of non-living modes of transport, like the automobile.

neživih vidova transporta, poput automobila.

Nevertheless, people have maintained their multifaceted relationships with horses—

Ipak, ljudi su zadržali svoj svestran odnos prema konjima -

riding, herding, racing, or admiring them—

jahanje, stočarstvo, trke ili divljenje istim -

from the steppes of Mongolia to the prairies of Montana,

od mongolskih stepa do prerija Montane,

ever since.

sve do danas.