Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-g8jcs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T05:55:24.507Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The horses of the ancient Persian Empire at Persepolis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

In a previous communication (Afshar, 1978) historical and topographical notes on Persepolis and the site of the present study were briefly outlined. Among the animals represented on the eastern staircase of the Apadana palace, the horse is the most common. In the royal procession, on the left wing of this staircase, seven horses dominate the scene, while on the right wing, horses are brought by eight of the 21 delegations that bring animals. Six delegations have riding horses, and two have chariots, each drawn by two horses; one other delegation, the Indian, brings another member of the equid family, the onager or wild ass. Not all the horses are represented in a uniform manner. Differences in proportion, configuration and individual features are apparent. This, and the careful depiction of all the figures on the reliefs, suggest that different breeds of horses were represented.

Type
Notes and News
Information
Antiquity , Volume 53 , Issue 207 , March 1979 , pp. 44 - 47
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd 1979

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Afshar, A. 1972. Rare breeds of domestic animals, Veterinary Record, 90, 20.Google Scholar
Afshar, A. 1978. Camels at Persepolis, Antiquity, LII, 228–31.Google Scholar
Afshar, A. et at. 1974. Giraffes at Persepolis, Archaeology, XXVII, 114.Google Scholar
Afshar, A. and Huck, R. A. 1978. The Caspian miniature horse and its relationship to the ancient Lydian horse, Ark The Journal of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, 5, 152.Google Scholar
Anderson, J. K. 1961. Ancient Greek horsemanship (Berkeley).Google Scholar
Bokonyi, S. 1971. The development and history of domestic animals in Hungary, American Anthro-pologist, LXXIII, 640.Google Scholar
Dutz, W. F. 1974. Symbolism in details of the reliefs in (ed.) A. V. Pope, Survey of Persian Art (London).Google Scholar
Farkas, A. 1974. Achaemenid sculpture (Istanbul).Google Scholar
Firouz, L. 1969. Conservation of a domestic breed, Biological Conservation, 2, 53.Google Scholar
Firouz, L. 1972. The Caspian miniature horse of Iran (ed.) H. Field (Florida).Google Scholar
Goodall, D.M. 1973 Horses of the world (London).Google Scholar
Hayes, M. H. 1969. Points of the horse (New York).Google Scholar
Isenbucel, I. and Seiferle, E. 1971. The horse, The Blue Book, Höchest, 21, 61.Google Scholar
Littauer, M. A. 1971. The figured evidence for a small pony in the ancient Near East, Iraq XXXIII, 24.Google Scholar
Morgan, G. The heavenly horses, History Today, February 1973.Google Scholar
Nobis, G. 1974. The origin domestication and early history of domestic horses, Veterinary Medical Review, 3, 211.Google Scholar
Schmidt, E. F. 1953–7. Persepolis, Vols. I, II, III (Chicago).Google Scholar
Walser, G. 1966. Die Völkerschaften auf den Relief von Persepolis (Berlin).Google Scholar
Buckland, P. C. 1976. The environmental evidence from the Church Street Roman sewer system in (ed.) P. V. Addyman, The archaeology of York, Vol. 14 Fasc. 1.Google Scholar
Godwin, H. 1975. The history of the British flora, 2nd ed. (Cambridge).Google Scholar
Hall, R. A. and kenward, H. K. 1976. Biological evidence for the usage of Roman riverside warehouses at York, Britannia, vii, 274–6.Google Scholar
Korber-grohne, U. 1964. Bestimmungsschlussel fiir subfossile Juncus-Samen und Gramineen-Friichte in (ed.) W. Haamagel, Probleme der Kustenforschung im Siidlichen Nordseegebiet, Vol. 7.Google Scholar
Willcox, G. H. 1977. Exotic plants from Roman waterlogged sites in London, J. Arch. Set., iv, 269–82.Google Scholar
Rchm, . 1934. Inventory of Herefordshire III.Google Scholar
Roy, W. 1973. Military antiquities of the Romans in Britain.Google Scholar
ST Joseph, J. K. 1961. Air reconnaissance in Britain. 1958–60, J. Roman Stud., LI, 119–35.Google Scholar
ST Joseph, J. K. 1969. Air reconnaissance in Britain, 1965–68, J. Roman Stud., LIX, 104–28.Google Scholar
Stanford, S. C. 1970. The Roman forts at Leintwardine and Buckton, Trans. Woolhope Natur. Fid Club, XXXIX, 223–336.Google Scholar
Stanford, S. C. 1972. The function and population of hillforts in the Central Marches in (eds) F. Lynch & C. Burgess, Prehistoric man in Wales and the West, 307–19.Google Scholar
Caton-Thompson, G. 1931. The Zimbabwe culture: ruins and reactions (Oxford).Google Scholar
Dart, R. 1955. Foreign influences of the Zimbabwe and pre-Zimbabwe eras, Nada, XXXII, 19–30.Google Scholar
DE vries, H. and Barendsen, G. W. 1954. Measurements of age by the Carbon-14 technique, Nature, 174, 1138.Google Scholar
Garlake, P. S. 1973. Great Zimbabwe (London).Google Scholar
Gayre, R. 1972. The origin of the Zimbabwean civilisation (Salisbury).Google Scholar
Huffman, T. N. 1972. The rise and fall of Zimbabwe, J. Afr. Hist., XIII (3), 355–66.Google Scholar
Libby, W.F. 1952. Chicago radiocarbon dates, III, Science, 120, 673–81.Google Scholar
Libby, W.F. 1954. Chicago radiocarbon dates v, Science, 120, 741–2.Google Scholar
Libby, W.F. 1955. Radiocarbon dating, 2nd ed. (Chicago).Google Scholar
Maciver, D. R. 1906. Mediaeval Rhodesia (London).Google Scholar
Robinson, K. R. 1950. Removal of timbers built into the foundations of the Inner Wall of the Parallel Passage—Elliptical Building or‘Temple’ Zimbabwe. Unpublished report in files of National Museums and Monuments of Rhodesia.Google Scholar
Robinson, K. R. 1961. Excavations on the Acropolis Hill, Occ. Pap. Nat. Mus. Sth. Rhod. A. III (23), 159–92.Google Scholar
Summers, R. 1955. The dating of the Zimbabwe ruins, Antiquity XXIX, 107–11.Google Scholar
Summers, R. K. Robinson, R. and Whitty, A. 1961. Zimbabwe excavations 1958, Occ. Pap. Nat. Mus. Sth. Rhod. A. III (23), 157–132.Google Scholar
Zeuner, F. E. 1955. Radiocarbon dates, Annual Report Institute of Archaeology in London, XI.Google Scholar
Cadogan, G.Harrison, R. K. and Strong, G. E. 1972. Volcanic glass shards in Late Minoan I Crete, Antiquity, XLVI, 310–13.Google Scholar
Doumas, C. 1974. The Minoan eruption of the Santorini volcano, Antiquity, XLVIII, 110–5.Google Scholar
Doumas, C. and Puchelth, H. C. (eds), 1978. Thera and the Aegean world (Athens) circulated to participants of the Congress but not yet published.Google Scholar
Marinatos, S. 1939 The volcanic destruction of Crete, Antiquity, XIII, 425–39.Google Scholar
Marinatos, S. 1968-76. Excavations at Thera Vol. I (1967) II(1968) III (1970) IV (1976)V (1972) VI (1976), (Athens).Google Scholar
Money, J. H. 1973. The destruction of Akrotiri, Antiquity, XLVII, 50–3.Google Scholar
Page, D. L. 1970. The Santorini volcano and the destruction of Minoan Crete Society for Hellenic Studies Supplementary Paper 12 (London).Google Scholar