May 13, 2009

The Horse Exhibition at Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Closing Date Extended to July 5, 2009

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania…Carnegie Museum of Natural History is pleased to announce that The Horse exhibition’s run has been extended July 5, 2009. The exhibition—developed by the American Museum of Natural History and co-curated by Dr. Sandra Olsen, curator of anthropology at Carnegie Museum of Natural History—was originally slated to close on May 24, but due to popular demand the museum has chosen to extend it. Exhibition-related, free weekend activities, including rock art rubbings in the Discovery Room and Exploration Stations within the exhibition, will also be extended. Visitors should note the museum will be closed on the upcoming holidays: Monday, May 25 (Memorial Day), and Saturday, July 4 (Independence Day).

The Horse Exhibition
The Horse is a comprehensive exhibition that demonstrates the enduring bond between horses and humans, and shows how horses have, over time, influenced civilization and major changes in warfare, trade, transportation, agriculture, sports, and many other facets of human life. The exhibition showcases spectacular fossils, models, dioramas, and cultural objects from around the world. Included in the exhibition is a re-creation of an archaeological dig site in Kazakhstan directed by Dr. Olsen. Fieldwork at this site, and other nearby sites of the Botai people, has led to the archaeological evidence that suggests horses were domesticated 5,500 years ago—1,000 years earlier than previously thought—and that the Botai culture is the earliest known to have domesticated horses. These findings of Dr. Olsen and her co-collaborators were published in the March 6 edition of the journal Science.

The Horse is organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York (www.amnh.org) in collaboration with Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture & Heritage; Canadian Museum of Civilization, Gatineau-Ottawa; The Field Museum, Chicago; and San Diego Natural History Museum.

The Horse is sponsored locally by Richard King Mellon Foundation, Fort Pitt Capital Group, The Children’s Institute, and Wild Horse Winery.

Images of The Horse are available for download via: http://www.carnegiemnh.org/news/media-form.asp

Carnegie Museum of Natural History, one of the four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, is ranked as one of the top five natural history museums in the country. It maintains, preserves, and interprets an extraordinary collection of 21 million objects and scientific specimens used to broaden understanding of evolution, conservation, and biodiversity. More information is available by calling 412.622.3131 or from the Web site, www.CarnegieMNH.org.