FRONT MATTER

EDITORIAL NOTE

NEWS SECTION

ARTICLES

A Ring Bezel Inscribed for Pharaohs Tuthmosis III and Amenhotep II

Robert Steven Bianchi and Edmund S. Meltzer

Abstract: The following essay discusses a green jasper plaque inscribed for pharaoh Amenhotep II of Dynasty XVIII of Egypt's New Kingdom within the context of his historically documented love of horses. The plaque is significant because it is one of only two representations in the history of ancient Egyptian art which depicts a pharaoh actually hand-feeding his favorite steed.

‘Pain et vin:’ Equine Rations of Bread and Wine at Persepolis in their Broader Historical Context

D. T. Potts

Abstract: In the early fifth century BC rations of bread and wine were issued to small numbers of horses at Persepolis, the Achaemenid Persian capital located in what is today the southwest Iranian province of Fars. Although considered puzzling by many students of ancient Persian history, ample evidence exists in the historical and equine veterinary literature of medieval through early twentieth century date attesting to the widespread practice of giving bread and wine to horses for both nutritional and therapeutic reasons. This evidence is reviewed in order to contextualize the Persepolis evidence within the broader framework of equine management across space and time.

To be a Warhorse. Depiction of Horses on Roman Funerary Reliefs of Members of the Military in the Province Pannonia

Goldie Nagy

Abstract: Depictions of horses are found upon every variation of monument regarding Roman cavalry, be it of official or private context. This paper investigates depictions of equestrians and horses on the reliefs of six private funerary stelae of members of the roman military found in Pannonia. The affiliated inscriptions attribute most of the individuals to the alae or describe them as equites. The representation format and significance of the depicted animals and individuals, as well as the value of information regarding Roman equestrian equipment is examined. Furthermore, it is attempted to investigate how certain meanings are expressed by varying equine depictions.  

The Royal Mares: Imagining a Race (Part One)

Miriam A. Bibby

Abstract: In the years since their first appearance in Cheny’s Racing Calendar of 1743, a group of celebrated yet vague beings, the Royal Mares, have from time to time attracted scholarly attention. Suggested to be the foundation mares of the Thoroughbred breed, they have subsequently been variously described as imported mares, as mares bred on the island of Britain, or a mixture of both. This series explores the origins and progress of the story, around which mythology has accumulated, showing that there is a core of truth within the legend of imported mares, but that certain aspects of the historiography have been influenced by unreliable sources. The evidence for imported horses from the sixteenth to the mid-eighteenth century is also examined in depth.

Forging Rural Heritage: Observations from Recent Archaeological Excavations at Clenor South and Annakisha South, County Cork, Ireland

Rena Maguire, Kate Taylor and Jordana Maguire

Abstract: The excavation of two sites in rural County Cork has allowed a firm chronology of techno-cultural change to be constructed. Changes in farriery technology have been placed within this timeline, indicating the effects of the Industrial Revolution and beyond.

BOOK REVIEWS

Pedersen, Anne and Merethe Schifter Bagge (eds), Horse and Rider in the Late Viking Age: Equestrian Burial in Perspective (Papers from a Conference Skanderborg 27—28th June 2019)

Reviewed by Rena Maguire

Evans Tang, Harriett J. Animal-Human Relationships in Medieval Iceland. From Farm-Settlement to Sagas

Reviewed by Anastasija Ropa

Brooks, Geraldine. Horse

Reviewed by Sarah Sargent

NOTES ON CONTRIBUTORS