Armenian gift bearers at Persepolis Stairways and walls of Persepolis are covered with detailed carvings of gift bearers from many nations under the Great King Darius command. The Armenian gift bearers are three and their gifts consisted of a horse and an elegant griffin protome vase. A Persian nobleman at their front is holding the Armenian’s hand guiding the delegate towards our King who is waiting for them. Relief is located on the eastern stairway of Apadana. The Armenians were our friends and among the nobles of the empire. A cataphract is an ancient heavy cavalry war horse utilized in ancient warfare. Maybe the equivalent of a modern army tank. Armenia and Persia was famous for its usage of such warhorses, in ancient times. In Sassanid Persia, the Armenians were accorded a status similar to the elite “Savaran” of the Persian army. The equipment of the Armenian cavalry was similar to that of the Savaran. Pro-Sassanian Armenian cavalry units fought under Sassanid banners and were allowed to enter the royal capital, Ctesiphon. The Armenians were in fact honoured for their services. For example, general Smbat Bagratuni was accorded particular honor and attention by Khosrov II. In 619, due to his victory over the Turks who then resided in Central Asia, he was given gifts, such as lavishly decorated robes, and the command of a number of the king’s royal guards. Khosrov II also raised him to third in rank among the nobles of the court. Moreover, pro-Sassanian Armenians supplied excellent light cavalry and infantry, who were notable for using slings to repel enemy cavalry, and spears for close combat. The recorded history Aryan tribes that spoke a native IE language, of which the Mitanni raised horses. We know that in the last century of their domination the Assyrians had large horses capable of bearing great weights; something that could not be accomplished without planned breeding. However It is debatable as to where they come from and who first started breeding horses. I have personally read many sources and historians claiming one culture or another. Wikipedia is similarly littered with uncertain information. It is true that one may find the oldest small horse varieties in upper Eurasia including indigenous ponies in Ireland. However if we are talking about larger horses, including racing horses. Arabian Horses for example do not actually originate from Arabia as it is a barren desert, and were coincidentally taken to the location by natives or invading tribes, the same can be said of Egypt and Greece who do not have indigenous wild stag used for racing and war. The only location possible that contains many other wild indigenous domesticated variety of animals is located north mesopotamian towards Anatolia and Armenian Highlands. For example Assyrians who are among the several early cultures to utilise the wild horse for chariots including the shooting of arrows on horse back record that Tiglath Pilser in 1074 and his need for horses drives him into the lands of of the Indo-Iranian horse peoples and Armenia. Archeologists have managed to excavate seven tombs with bones and depictions of horses, proving their intensive cultivation. Archeological finds in Armenia are dated at 25-20 centuries B.C. V. Chapot wrote: “What they say about Armenia bewilders us. How could this mountain people develop such a cavalry that was able to measure itself against the horsemen of the Medes? One thing which is certain is the fact that Armenia …was a source of excellent well bred horses. The people in this country had discovered that horses were not just an economic asset, but could also be used for military purposes.” In his chronology (Timeline of the Development of the Horse, 2007) Beverley Davis describes the the domestication of the horse in Armenia as follows: 3000 B.C. - Petroglyphs found in Armenia (one of the possible sites for the Indo-European homeland) show the oldest pictures of men driving chariots, wagons, and plows, with horses doing the pulling. 2000 B.C. - Primitive wagons dating from this time have been found in excellent condition in Armenia. These are the oldest known wagons in the world. 1074 B.C. - Tiglath Pilser I becomes the first great king of the Assyrian Empire. The need for horses drives him into the lands of the Indo-Iranian horse peoples and Armenia. 36 B.C. - Marc Antony takes a 10,000-horse cavalry, most of the animals coming from Spain, to Syria in his war against Parthia. He loses the war and ravages Armenia, returning to Egypt with Armenia’s king and the first large number of Nisean horses in the Roman Empire. Augustus Caesar ends up with them after defeating Antony. 111–114 A.D. - Armenia, the breeding ground for the Nisean horse, is annexed by Rome. 396 A.D. - The Huns raid Armenia, looking for horses and riches. Recent archeological discoveries made in Armenia push these dates even further back. Unique discoveries revealed as a result of excavations at Shengavit and the village of Nor Naver, Armenia (4000-3000 B.C.) Director of the Scientific and Research Institute of Historical and Cultural Heritage Hakob Simonyan said: “… the amount of revealed horse bones at the territory has exceeded all expectations of the researchers.” With respect to this, German paleozoologist Hans Peter Wertman stated that he has not observed such a quantity of horses in the entire Ancient East.have It is not known whether they bought horses from the Medes or raised them themselves, but the first mentions of armoured soldiers riding on large armoured horses, dated to the sixth century BC, have been traced to them. Farther north were the related Sarmatians; in the third century BC, making use of their heavy armoured cavalry, they had destroyed the Scythian state. When Media, neighbouring Parthia and more distant Armenia became part of the Persian Empire, the Nisaean charger was used throughout Asia Minor. Furthermore these finds provide evidence that Armenians were among the earliest nations engaged in horse breeding for military purposes. Archeologists have managed to excavate seven tombs with bones and depictions of horses, proving their intensive cultivation. Archeological finds are dated at 25-20 centuries B.C. “Evidence is found, that Armenians is among first nations engaged in horse breeding and particularly thanks to ancient Armenians several breeds of horses were created,” Hakob Simonyan said. During the middle ages Armenians continued this tradition of horse mastery and with the invention of the Armenian alphabet produced stunning scientific writings, of which only a handful survived to this day. This oldest known manual about Armenian horse medicine consists of 184 handwritten pages. It was written in the Armenian kingdom of Cilicia between 1295 and 1298. The first chapter explains the creation of the horse. The following chapters describe the good and bad characteristics of horses, breeding, the different races known at that time, breaking in and riding, horse care and defects. And the last chapters deal with different types of pain as well as illnesses, symptoms and treatments. This Armenian manual about horse medicine from the 13th century has been translated into German for the first time in 2005. The compendium is Armenia’s oldest preserved veterinary medical work and offers an overall view of expert knowledge about horses during the late 13th century.
Posted on: Sun, 02 Nov 2014 21:09:11 +0000