Greek Horses

[Thersites]

Stefanos,

Is there any particular reason why you specify it is a CHARIOT horse harness?

Cheers

[hoplite14gr]

Yes Fernando.
It was found along with other bits and pieces of a 4-wheel ceremonial chariot now in exibit in the National Archeology Museum in Athens.
Probably the chariot carrying the high pristess of Athena during the Panathenea festivities.

Kind regards

[Thersites]

Great! Thank you. but as far as I can see, there is not an specific feature, i.e., it seems it is a normal -quite heavy- cavalry bit. Is that correct?

[hoplite14gr]

Well I belive that the Greek link and my explanation of the photos in the previous parts of this thread can help you on that.
I also take Dan's point seriously.
What I strongly belive is that not all Mediteranean horses were "midgets" in the ancient times.
Most large horse bones from ancient graves come from Thessaly form the Felena ancint sites. It is interasting that the coins of Felena depict a well built horse that may people describe as a "charger".
Athenians were in good terms with the Thessalians and could import good horses. Kind regards

[Thersites]

Sorry, Stefanos, perhaps I did not express properly what I wanted to know
.
I was asking about the TYPE of the horse bit (long curved cheekpieces, echine or spiked mouthpiece, etc.), i.e. a 'heavy' bit, harh on the horse's mouth or diastema.

What I'd like to ask is if this 'chariot' horse-bit is typologically different from normal cavalry bits used in ridden horses. Apparently it is not. It very much looks like Alexander's horse bit in the Pompei mosaic, or like some bits found in burials from Northern Greece, probably horsemen burials. Perhaps I'm being thick, but I cannot find any reference to this in previous posts, only to horse size.

[hoplite14gr]

I believe this reconstruction probably answer your questions Fernando.
Kind regards