Horses in ancient history: China, Egypt, Israel, Mesopotamia, Rome, Greek, Assyria, Japan, india. As I hope it becomes customary on the blog, we extend the perspective of the topics covered on the site.This time we go with the horses in ancient times, as a tribute or way of expanding concepts around the horse in Chinese astrology.
If we look at history, we come to know that the horse was a wild animal. First of all, it was domesticated in southern Russia and Kazakhstan around 2300 BC. Before this, the people of these areas used donkeys and other animals to carry luggage from one place to another. The primary use of the horses was done in the war, in hunting, and as transport. The horses were domesticated around 3500 BC. From ancient times, man always focused on the contraction of the animals with the human.
The horse was used in sports like polo, ruth, racing and other healthy activities. In ancient times man has surrounded the environment to meet their needs. Since domestication, the horse has been the closest friend of man and entertained him in sports, work, travel, and entertainment. Abilities of a horse like high speed, loyalty, power, look are the leading causes of the domestication of the horses. There are a few stories about the commitment of horses.
The evolution of the horse occurred from a multi-toed creature named Eohippus into today’s single-toed animal more than 45 to 50 million years ago. But the domestication of the horses was spread about 3000 BC. Horses are domesticated from subspecies of caballus. The horses were always preferred for their breeds, colors, size, and human-friendly behavior. The average lifespan of a horse is a maximum of 25 to 30 years. The horse can be trained under the age of two or three years.
The horse can sleep while standing or lying down. The female horse is called mares. They carry their child for a maximum of eleven years. A young or newborn horse is called a foal, and it can run and stand from its birth. The young horse is more active than other horses. At the age of five years, a horse reached its adult age. From this age, it was trained by a horse trainer called a harness.
In ancient times horses were controlled by many techniques. In ancient times, people eat the meat of horses. Man has used much equipment to hold horses. In ancient times all body parts of the horses like hair, bones, meat, and milk were very useful for man. They were protected from wild animals by a man. Humans provide food, shelter, water, and all the basic needs of life.
In different areas of earth, there are differences between the height and size of the horses. In ancient times, multiple people liked various colors of horses, but white and black color is the first choice of everyone from ancient times. In short, the horse is a faithful animal from ancient times. But there are different statuses of horses in various civilizations. But today, we will explain the ancient history of horses in some cultures like China, India, greek, Mesopotamia, Rome, Israel, Japan, Assyria, and Egypt.
Horses in ancient China
According to history, the domestication of the horses occurred during the reign of a Chinese king named Longshan between 23,00 and 3,000 BC. These dates are not confirmed. The horse was used in the war in ancient China during the reign of the Shang Dynasty between 1450 – 1050 BCE. from ancient times, and China had a problem of enemies.
So the Chinese focused on their power of the army. The horse was an essential factor of the military and was trained very well by old Chinese trainers. The Chinese understood the power of horses, so they took great care of the grassing of the horses. The modern horses are derived from old Chinese horses. The ancient people of China believed that people born in the horse year were considered more robust, energetic, and active than other people. In old China, the horse was a symbol of power, beauty, and freedom.
Ancient people of china needs horses to fight against Mongols. There is thousands of lover of horses all over the world. in the ancient china the horse was a symbol of determination, freedom, travel, and spirit.
Horse in ancient Egypt
Egypt was a great power of ancient times. Horses were inaugurated in ancient Egypt during the second intermediate period, about 17,00 to 1550 BC. Egypt has a long relationship with Arabian horses. Arabian horses were crossed successfully for 3500 years. All this process was taken seriously and done on Egyptian farms.
The arrival of the horses in old Egypt is still unknown. It is believed that horses came to Egypt with Hyksos between 1600 BC, who were very worried about their cattle grazing and came through Neil river.
The name of the horses in old Egypt was Arbab or called an Arabian mare. And in ancient Egypt, the weight of horses was 360 to 450 kgs. in old Egypt, horses were never used in any labor work and were considered spiritually powerful. It was considered a royal power. The name of the god of the horses in old Egypt was a state. In ancient Egypt, horses were used for military purposes. Ordinary people were not allowed to ride on horses because they were considered very sacred.
Horses in old Israel
The archeological evidence has proved that the ancient people of Israel were very talented and was excellent horse trainers. That’s why they remain safe from their strong enemies for thousands of years. They breed a wide variety of horses. It is said that the first horse was brought to Israel a long time ago with other animals, but the exact date is still unknown.
In Israel, horses were widely used in wars and considered as the backbone of the battles. In old Israel, thousands of families have their horses. The horses in old Israel were used for military purposes, transport, and entertainment. In ancient Israel, the horse symbolizes war, power, and fame or honor and status of king or country.
Horses were used freely in old Israel. Yugoslavian, Hungarian Shakya, and Norwegian fjord are important breeds of ancient Israel. There are used warm-blooded horses because they show high efficiency in the battleground. The meaning of the horses in old Israel was endurance, freedom, beauty, fearlessness, and bravery.
Horse in old Mesopotamia
The horse was imported in a large number from a lowland near about 2000 BCE. It was the time of starting wars. They were used on a large scale in many wars. Horses were domesticated between 3600-3100 BCE.
It first appeared in northern areas about 2400 BCE. In southern regions, it appeared in the periods of 2100 to 1800 BCE. But the horse ride was not allowed by the gods and kings Because they thought that this animal was unknown to him. Before the domestication of horses, the older adults of ancient Mesopotamia used donkeys and other animals for a draught of burden.
Horses in old Rome
Horses were used in Rome for battle. The horse rider was the ability of the Roman army for better movement and the second attack. They were used for better communication from one place to another. In battle, people did not ride on horseback until 900 BCE. They were first used for carrying luggage. In the Roman empire, Alexander first used time for military purposes. Romans used high-quality horses.
Horses in ancient Greek
In old Greek, the horse was used as a sign of wealth and status. They were used in warfare and trade. They breed different varieties of high-quality horses. The horse was brought to the Greek about 1500 BCE. Horses were used in Greek art and various sports, and people thought that Poseidon was the god of the horses. They believe that this god brought the first horse into this world.
Horses in old Assyria
Assyrians used horses for trade, military purposes, and sports. The horses were brought to Assyria from Iran. They were first domesticated around 3500 BCE. The Assyrian army was one of the most powerful armies due to its military qualities. Old Assyrians were the first army of the world that used weapons of iron with horses. They can build bridges. They were highly trained in horse riding.
Horses in old Japan
In ancient Japan, horses were introduced in the fourth century. And their kings Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, used horses in the field of battle. But horses are in Japan from the Jomon period. In old Japan, people praised it as a god. They think that horse is a supernatural animal that has power on its back. The black horse was a symbol of the presented or inviting darkness.
Horses in old India
In ancient India, the remaining horses were found in Gandhara culture. The second name of this culture is swat culture from 1400-800 BCE. It is said that horses originated in old India over 54 million years ago. Marwari and Kathiawari are well-known breeds all over the world. Because they can rotate their ears to 180 degrees, it is stated that horses appeared in India in the late Harappan period. The ancient people of India, called Aryans, worship horses for their speed, strength, and intelligence.
Conclusion
The horse is a faithful and loving animal that has a thousand years of relationship with humans. The horses played an essential role in the development of many nations. They were present here on this earth more than 50 million years ago.
Read also: Dogs in ancient history; Domestication of dogs; Asian Cuisine History