Published: June 19, 2018 By

Photograph of a horse and rider figurine, facing toward viewer's left, from the side against a neutral gray background.Horses were Ìýduring the 4th millennium B.C.E.Ìýand spread to and throughout the Near East and Mediterranean from there. In Greece, horses became important in life generally and especially inÌýwarfare, racing, traveling, and hunting. Horses were expensive to purchase and to maintain and, for these reasons, ownership was largely limited to the wealthier members of ancient communities. In fact, the second-highest property class in Athens was called the "hippeis," or "horse-owners" in the . Horses therefore became symbols of high social status in ancient Greek society.Ìý

The importance of horses in Greek life is illustrated by the frequency of their depiction in art throughout all periods of Greek history. Horses are shown in ancient Greek vase-painting, as well as in large- andÌýsmall-scale sculpture. They can be shown with or without riders and in a variety of situations,ÌýfromÌýÌý³Ù´ÇÌýÌý(1). Horses often look small relative to humans in Greek art: while this can beÌýthe result of the artist attempting to fit horses and humans into the same composition, Ìýwere, in fact, somewhat smaller than their modern counterparts. The Greeks believed that horsesÌýwere created byÌý, and occasionally horses were sacrificed to the god by drowning (2).Ìý

Horses wereÌýÌýas early asÌýthe Late Bronze Age in Greece (ca. 1,600 to 1,100 B.C.E.), first to pull chariots and later for cavalry. The uses of chariots in battle is attested by the epic poet Homer, who mentions that the best horses were fed wheat instead of the typical barley and even given wine to drink (3). Because few people were wealthy enoughÌýto own horses, the ancient Greek cavalry was usually small;Ìýin 431 B.C.E., for example, AthensÌýhad only 1,000 men in its cavalry andÌýSpartaÌýdid not have a real cavalry at all until 424 B.C.E. Like their human counterparts, horses engaged in battle in ancient Greece could be .ÌýHorses did not play a major role in Greek warfare until the time of the Macedonian kingÌýÌý(356-323 B.C.E.) (4).

in ancient Greece, originating as part of the ceremonies in early funeral games. The racing ofÌýbecame an event at Ìýbeginning in 680 B.C.E. Horse racing with riders, not chariots, was introduced somewhat later. The races took place on courses calledÌýÌý(from the Greek words "hippos," meaningÌýhorse, and "dromos," meaning course), dangerous tracks with hairpin turns at either end. As is the case in horse racing today, the prizes and acclaim were given to the owners of the horse teams, not to the Ìýor the . This loophole was the only means by which the , as the owner of a team of horses, could be listed as a winner of an Olympic event, honors most typically accorded to menÌý(5). In addition to , ancient Greek athletic competitions could includeÌýhorseback acrobatics, which must have been thrilling to watch, and military sports, such as throwing javelins from horseback (6).

Traveling and hunting by horse were luxuries reserved for the rich. The use of horses in hunting, as well as in battleÌýis well-illustrated on the so-called Alexander Sarcophagus,Ìýa (Lebanon). One side shows a battle, with some soldiers mounted on horses; the other shows men hunting lions from horseback.Ìý

HandbooksÌýinstructed horse owners on the correct treatment of their animals; the oldest one still surviving today isÌýÌýby the Ìý(c. 430-354 B.C.E.), which details the proper care and training of horses (7). No matter the amount of training, however, it must have been uncomfortable to ride a horse in ancient GreeceÌýfor both animal and rider, as there were no saddles, stirrups, or horseshoes (8).

This essay was written to accompany aÌýcollection of Greek artifacts at the ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ Art Museum.Ìý

Footnotes

  1. On horses in art, see Sidney David Markman,ÌýThe Horse in Greek ArtÌý(New York: Biblo and Tannen, 1969).
  2. Harold B. Barclay,ÌýThe Role of the Horse in Man's CultureÌý(London: J.A. Allen, 1980): 57.
  3. Robert Way, "Horses of Ancient Greece," in ed. Michael Seth-Smith,ÌýThe Horse in Art and HistoryÌý(New York: Mayflower Books, 1978): 22-3.
  4. On cavalry and warfare see Juliet Clutton-Brock,ÌýHorse Power: A History of the Horse and the Donkey in Human SocietiesÌý(Harvard University Press, 1992): 106-12; Ann Hyland,ÌýThe Horse in the Ancient WorldÌý(Westport, CT: Praeger,Ìý2003): 128-44; Simon Hornblower and Antony Spawforth,ÌýThe Oxford Classical DictionaryÌý(Oxford University Press,Ìý1999): 709.
  5. On horse and chariot racing see Clutton-Brock,ÌýHorse Power: 112-3; Hornblower and Spawforth,ÌýThe Oxford Classical Dictionary:Ìý727-8; Way, "Horses of Ancient Greece": 24-6.
  6. On equestrian spectator sports see Barclay,ÌýThe Role of the Horse in Man's Culture:Ìý54-5.
  7. Hornblower and Spawforth,ÌýThe Oxford Classical Dictionary:Ìý728-9.
  8. Way, "Horses of Ancient Greece," 23.