Horses in Ancient Greece
Horses in Ancient Greece
When thinking back to the ancient times, the thought of the great chariot races will inevitably enter a person's mind. Horses were not only used for this spectacular and dangerous event in early times, but they were used and worshipped as so much more. The Greeks saw horses as a symbol of speed, competition, and human mastery over nature. They were viewed as an animal worthy of much respect and necessary tool for the Greeks competitive personalities. Horses were an integral part of life in ancient Greece. They played an active role in warfare, transportation and in the games such as the Panathenaic Games in Athens. Athenian enthusiasm for the horse was expressed in the many civic buildings and temples that were covered with paintings and sculptures of riders and battle scenes showing cavalry such as on the Parthenon where the Parthenon Horse originates. Poseidon and Athena together served as protectors of horses and patrons of horsemanship and equestrian activities. Athena, Patron Goddess of Athens, was credited with the invention of the bridle and the use of chariots. The Aristocratic families that ruled Athens during the 6th century B.C. often took pride in their nobility by starting or ending their name with the word hippos, which is the Greek word for horse. The aristocracy bred and raced horses from very early times and it seems that chariot racing was the preferred form of competition and maybe even the foundation of the Olympic Games. The earliest known direct ancestor of Equus or the horse, the eohippus, lived approximately 50 million years ago in both the Old and New Worlds. Equus originally evolved in North America about three million years ago, spreading to all continents except Australia. Horses disappeared from the Americas for unknown reasons about 10,000 years ago, and were reintroduced by Europeans, around 1500 AD. Many species of the horse arose in the Old World. Horses were probably first domesticated by
When thinking back to the ancient times, the thought of the great chariot races will inevitably enter a person's mind. Horses were not only used for this spectacular and dangerous event in early times, but they were used and worshipped as so much more. The Greeks saw horses as a symbol of speed, competition, and human mastery over nature. They were viewed as an animal worthy of much respect and necessary tool for the Greeks competitive personalities. Horses were an integral part of life in ancient Greece. They played an active role in warfare, transportation and in the games such as the Panathenaic Games in Athens. Athenian enthusiasm for the horse was expressed in the many civic buildings and temples that were covered with paintings and sculptures of riders and battle scenes showing cavalry such as on the Parthenon where the Parthenon Horse originates. Poseidon and Athena together served as protectors of horses and patrons of horsemanship and equestrian activities. Athena, Patron Goddess of Athens, was credited with the invention of the bridle and the use of chariots. The Aristocratic families that ruled Athens during the 6th century B.C. often took pride in their nobility by starting or ending their name with the word hippos, which is the Greek word for horse. The aristocracy bred and raced horses from very early times and it seems that chariot racing was the preferred form of competition and maybe even the foundation of the Olympic Games. The earliest known direct ancestor of Equus or the horse, the eohippus, lived approximately 50 million years ago in both the Old and New Worlds. Equus originally evolved in North America about three million years ago, spreading to all continents except Australia. Horses disappeared from the Americas for unknown reasons about 10,000 years ago, and were reintroduced by Europeans, around 1500 AD. Many species of the horse arose in the Old World. Horses were probably first domesticated by
Cited: 1. Dersin, Denise. What Life Was Like at the Dawn of Democracy Time Life Inc. 1997. 2. Burckhardt, Jacob. The Greeks and Greek Civilization. St. Martin 's Press NY. 1998. 3. History for Kids-horses. http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/environment/horses.htm