Historical management of equine resources in France from the Iron Age to the Modern Period

•The Horse is the only equid species identified in the Iron Age archaeological record from France.•Mules represent an abundant fraction of the equine bone assemblages from France during the Roman Period, while donkeys were almost absent.•Donkeys of exceptional size were present in France during the Late Antiquity.•Following the collapse of the Roman Empire, donkeys replaced mules and became an important element of economic activities.