Archaeological evidence from medieval Hungary reveals that people continued consuming horsemeat for over 200 years after converting to Christianity, challenging long-held assumptions about religious dietary restrictions. A comprehensive study examining horse bones from 198 settlements demonstrates that the decline of hippophagy resulted from practical rather than spiritual factors.
The research, published in Antiquity, overturns the prevailing narrative that Christian influence ended horsemeat consumption across medieval Europe. Professor László Bartosiewicz from Stockholm University and Dr Erika Gál from the HUN-REN Research Centre analyzed horse remains to understand how dietary practices evolved in medieval Hungary.
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Archaeological Evidence Challenges Religious Assumptions
The study examined refuse contexts from medieval settlements, calculating the percentage of horse bones relative to other livestock remains. Results showed that medieval dietary practices were more complex than previously understood, with horsemeat consumption continuing well into the Christian period.
"Based on documentary sources, abandoning horsemeat consumption is widely associated with the emergence of Christianity in medieval Europe," the researchers noted. "However, in the absence of an explicit prohibition (comparable to the ban on pork in Judaism/Islam), a great degree of regional diversity is apparent in the condemnation of horsemeat across Europe." (Antiquity Publications Ltd)
At some rural sites, horse bones comprised up to one-third of identifiable livestock remains in food refuse, indicating that Hungarian populations maintained traditional dietary practices despite Christian influence. The evidence suggests that medieval religious conversion didn't automatically eliminate pre-Christian customs.
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Archaeological excavation in Hungary revealing medieval animal remains (Gál et al. 2022, International Journal of Osteoarchaeology/Archaeology Magazine)
The Mongol Invasion's Impact on Hungarian Diet
The research revealed that horsemeat consumption began declining significantly after the Mongol invasion of 1241-42, which devastated Hungary's population. The invasion killed 40-50 percent of the country's inhabitants and fundamentally altered dietary patterns through demographic and economic changes.
"Horses were valuable war booty and surviving horse stock was probably in high demand for purposes other than food," the researchers explained. The invasion transformed horses from readily available livestock into precious military assets, making them less accessible for consumption.
Following the invasion, Hungarian kings invited western European settlers to repopulate the devastated lands. These newcomers brought different dietary traditions, favoring pork over horsemeat as pigs were better suited to sedentary farming practices. This demographic shift, rather than religious pressure, drove the decline in hippophagy.
The study demonstrates how archaeological evidence can challenge historical narratives based solely on documentary sources. Medieval Christian writers often portrayed horsemeat consumption as barbaric, but their accounts may have reflected bias rather than reality.
Chart showing changes in horse remains percentage across different medieval Hungarian settlement types. (Bartosiewicz et al. 2025/Antiquity Publications Ltd)
Questioning Historical Narratives Through Archaeology
The findings highlight the importance of archaeological research in evaluating historical sources that may contain cultural biases. Medieval Christian chroniclers often described horsemeat consumption as characteristic of pagan peoples, potentially exaggerating its religious significance.
"Tropes equating hippophagy with 'barbarity' have abounded since Antiquity," the researchers concluded. "This othering is most poignant in sources that post-date the events they are describing, sometimes by centuries, and possibly portray negative generalizations rather than past 'reality.'"
The study's methodology involved analyzing horse bones from refuse contexts dating from Hungary's conversion to Christianity in 1000 AD through the late medieval period. By calculating the percentage of horse remains relative to other livestock bones, researchers could identify sites where horses were being consumed rather than used solely for transportation or warfare.
This quantitative approach revealed that medieval European dietary practices were more nuanced than documentary sources suggested. The research shows how archaeological evidence can provide insights into daily life that complement and sometimes contradict written historical accounts.
The Hungarian case study demonstrates that cultural changes in medieval Europe were driven by complex interactions between political, economic, and demographic factors rather than simple religious mandates. Archaeological analysis provides crucial evidence for understanding how ordinary people adapted to changing circumstances while maintaining traditional practices longer than previously assumed.
Top image: Medieval manuscript depicting horsemeat consumption, showing the complex relationship between food, culture, and religious practices in medieval Europe. Source: British Library/ CC0 1.0 Antiquity Publications Ltd
By Gary Manners
References
Bartosiewicz, L. & Gál, E. 2025. Hippophagy in medieval Hungary: a quantitative analysis. Available at: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/hippophagy-in-medieval-hungary-a-quantitative-analysis/F5519DCCAD6B2EFEF6797392AF034C42
Gál, E. 2025. Medieval Hungarian dietary practices research. Available at: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/hippophagy-in-medieval-hungary-a-quantitative-analysis/F5519DCCAD6B2EFEF6797392AF034C42
