Horse in the Ancient World: From Bucephalus to the Hippodrome by Carolyn Willeke

Description: Horse in the Ancient World by Carolyn Willekes The domestication of the horse in the fourth millennium BC altered the course of mankinds future. Formerly a source only of meat, horses now became the prime mode of fast transport as well as a versatile weapon of war. Carolyn Willekes traces the early history of the horse through a combination of equine iconography, literary representations, fieldwork and archaeological theory. She explores the ways in which horses were used in the ancient world, whether in regular cavalry formations, harnessed to chariots, as a means of reconnaissance, in swift and deadly skirmishing (such as by Scythian archers) or as the key mode of mobility. Establishing a regional typology of ancient horses - Mediterranean, Central Asian and Near Eastern - the author discerns within these categories several distinct sub-types. Explaining how the physical characteristics of each type influenced its use on the battlefield - through grand strategy, singular tactics and general deployment - she focuses on Egypt, Persia and the Hittites, as well as Greece and Rome. This is the most comprehensive treatment yet written of the horse in antiquity. FORMAT Hardcover LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Author Biography Carolyn Willekes holds degrees in classical studies from the University of Calgary and the University of Guelph. Her most recent publication is Horse Racing and Chariot Racing, co-authored with Sinclair Bell, in The Oxford Handbook of Animals in Classical Thought and Life (2013). Review The Horse in the Ancient World is aimed at a broad audience. Its unusual strength lies in Carolyn Willekes attractive combination of academic expertise with considerable practical experience. This has produced a work of sound scholarship which is also accessible to the general reader. It should be an invaluable companion to classical specialists and equine enthusiasts alike; it is of good quality, and fills a gap in the current literature. - Iain G Spence, former Associate Professor of Ancient History, Australian National University, author of The Cavalry of Classical Greece: A Social and Military History; Carolyn Willekes book is a most welcome addition to a growing list of publications devoted to ancient equestrian and cavalry studies. It is a richly informative work, giving ample evidence of the authors long personal experience with horses and equestrian activity. That she journeyed to Mongolia in search of the famous Steppe Pony gives her study a real life grounding and certainly attests her personal pluck. Throughout her book, Willekes stresses the close relationship between humans and horses since the domestication of the latter in the fourth millennium BC. Her chapters on the evolution of the horse and horse riding, and her clear categorization of horse types, are clear, concise and persuasive. Willekes book should appeal to an audience far broader than just horse enthusiasts: she covers the use of the horse in war; in art (for example, offering a provocative interpretation of the Parthenon frieze); and in sports. She also includes lengthy translated excerpts of ancient Greek and Roman writers on what we would call "equine conformation". All in all, this is an enjoyable, well researched and nicely balanced introduction to the subject. - Glenn R Bugh, Associate Professor of Classical Studies and Byzantine History, Virginia Tech, author of The Horsemen of Athens and editor of The Cambridge Companion to the Hellenistic World Details ISBN1784533661 ISBN-10 1784533661 ISBN-13 9781784533663 Format Hardcover Author Carolyn Willekes Series Library Of Classical Studies Year 2016 Short Title HORSE IN THE ANCIENT WORLD Language English Media Book DEWEY 636.1 Subtitle From Bucephalus to the Hippodrome Place of Publication London Country of Publication United Kingdom Illustrations 40 bw integrated, 8pp colour plates Imprint I.B. Tauris Pages 296 Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Publication Date 2016-07-29 UK Release Date 2016-07-29 NZ Release Date 2016-07-29 AU Release Date 2016-08-29 We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:128091966;

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