The oldest saddle in the archaeological record is approximately 2,700 years old and was found in a woman's grave at the Yanghai cemetery near China's Taklamakan Desert.
Notes on verification
Confirmed by multiple independent, credible sources including a peer-reviewed study (ScienceDirect) and reputable news outlets (Live Science, SCMP) reporting on the Yanghai cemetery find. [cascade flags: aggregator_dropped_primary_exists | tier=silver indep_score=0.925 clusters=2 claim_tier=notable]
Sources
- 7 archaeological discoveries that stunned us in 2024 (seed:history_and_archaeology)
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352226723000235 (corroboration)
- https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3222738/saddle-2700-year-old-xinjiang-tomb-and-clue-history-horse-riding (corroboration)