pothos.org

Bit of a random post, but I was in London today and saw this in the British Museum. It comes from Xanthos in southern Lycia and is dated to 460BC. I thought it showed some interesting points, principally the size of the horse in comparison to the man, the use of a plume on the horse's head (all the other horses on the frieze have them too), and what looks like evidence for the use of a bit. The horse looks to have a thick and powerful neck too.

Greetings,

There is currently a lot of research being done on the horse types of the ancient world. Attempts to preserve some of the native species are also underway, as well as some work on re-establishing older strains. The majority of Greek breeds ARE relatively small in comparison to others, though it can be assumed there were out crossings to other, taller breeds in existence at the time.

You will see evidence for bits in many of the friezes.

Thank you for posting the picture.

Regards,
Sikander

Yes, a colleague of mine just completed a PhD thesis on the subject. She would be able to say how that horse compared to Greek, steppe, and Median types, but I don't have that skill. It is a big horse!

The image of a rider leading a horse with one arm across its withers reminds me of that relief from Late Republican Italy named after Domitius Ahenobarus.

An ancient Clydesdale!