Misrepresentation
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| Ice Age horse remains found in Utah. |
"Everyone knows there were no horses in America until after Columbus arrived in 1492. Since the Book of Mormon mentions horses it must be wrong, therefore the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints must be wrong."
Documented Truth
One of the charges brought against the Book of Mormon is the mention of horses. Recent archaeological evidence, however, is showing that the presence of horses in America during the given time frame is not only plausible, but confirmed.
The most likely candidate species are Equus conversidens and Equus mexicanus, commonly known as the "Mexican horse." While the popular opinion is that they went extinct at the end of the Pleistocene, recent evidence shows that they lived well past the 10,000 BC timestamp.
Here is a simple timeline including some of the dates that archaeologists have reported for various horse species in the Americas:
---------- (10,000 BC - Pleistocene era ends)
- 6,020-5,890 BC - Elpaso Texas - C14 date
- 5,600 BC - Steven Village, Alaska - C14 date
- 2,600 BC - Beringia (Alaska) - C14 date
---------- (about 2,200 BC - Jaredites arrive)
- 1805 BC - Loltun, Mexico (Yucatan) - C14 date
---------- (about 590 BC - Lehi arrives)
- 523 BC - Mexico - C14 date
- 200 BC Beringia (Alaska) - C14 date
- 1260-1400 AD - Colorado - C14 date
- "pre-Columbian" - Mayapan, Mexico (Mayan Post Classic 1220-1440 AD, Yucatan)- Stratigraphy
---------- (1492 - Columbus Arrives)
---------- (1493 - Spanish begin colonization)
- 1720 AD- Carlsbad, California - Stratigraphy
---------- (1769 AD - Spanish settle California)
These are just those horse remains that have been given a date by radiocarbon dating or stratigraphy. There are many more that have been found, but not dated.
The reason more dates have not been reported on other horse finds are due to the expense of Carbon 14 dating ($500-600 per sample), as well as the rarity of finding remains in the acidic soil of Central and Mesoamerica which many regard to be the primary location of the Book of Mormon events. Most horse specimens that have been found in this region were in caves which mitigate the climate and soil factors.
Sources
- https://www.livescience.com/utah-horse-native-americans.html
- https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/animals-in-the-book-of-mormon-challenges-and-perspective
- https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/hard-evidence-of-ancient-american-horses/?post_type=article&p=8094
- https://bhroberts.org/records/RgnyGb-N9aAyc/wade_e_miller_et_al_publishes_evidence_for_horses_in_the_americas_during_the_post_pleistocene_pre_columbian_era
