Beauty from Getty Museum - Homer's Iliad horse-stealing episode

 Salvete Omnes, 

today we have the last day of July 2026, time flies or as ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus said - panta rhei. 

While another ancient Greek - Homer - and his compositions - the Iliad and the Odyssey - have been with our culture for close to 3,000 years, inspiring countless writers, painters, sculptors and film makers - eg the latest Nolan's film.

So our horse-related image comes from the Iliad milieu, but from the  early Archaic period of the ancient Greek history & art,  as it shows Odysseus and Diomedes' infiltration the Thracian camp, the Trojan allies, at Troy in order to steal their famous horses ("huge of size, a wonder to behold'' or -  ''His[Rheos] be verily the fairest horses that ever I saw, and the greatest, whiter than snow, and in speed like the winds.'). Odysseus slays (of honey-sweet life) Rhesos/Rhesus, a Thracian king, and 12 other sleepingThracian warriors. - Book X of Iliad,

Murray's translation

Here you can read the description from Getty Collections webpage - where the amphora's photos are available for study. The authorship has been attributed to Inscription Painters (Chalcidician style) from Rhegion, Southern Italy (then so called Magna Graecia due to the Greek colonization and settlement) 

the amazingly well portrayed white stallion 

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the act of killing of king Rhesos you can also study from the Wiki Commons page, where horse side of the amphora does not appear. Note that Odysseus is carrying a bow and arrows in a quiver slung on his back.

Valete

Bit by Bit - a study of Assyrian reliefs of Ashurnasirpal II

 Salvete Omnes,

a short entry but the study is enjoyable and well researched -
a Master thesis by Stephanie Baldwin - Bit by Bit: an Iconographic Study of horses in the reliefs of Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II (883-859B) - Univeristy od Stellenbosch. 

The study can be had from the author's Academia page .

enjoy

Enjoy

Cheiron - ancient Egyptian [chariot]horse training

 Salvete Omnes,

Cheiron Journal Yt channel had their presentations and discussion on the ancient (Bronze Age - New Kingdom ) Egypt and their horse training and their chariotry.

During this session Lonneke Delpeut introduced the image of horse desensitizing from the Ramses/Ramasses III temple of Medinet Habu. 

Later this University of Vienna scholar made available her own article on the relief and its implication- Academia.edu. 

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The later part of the presentation dr Delpuet showed the discovered and reconstructed horse stables at the Ramses/Ramesses II's capital city of Pi-Ramesses(Qantir, Egypt). Interesting aspect of the stable construction was the creation and use of horse urine containers, presumably once collected the urine was applied in the leather tanneries process ( urine still can be used for tanning processes today). The stables had access to the river, allowing for washing and watering. Fascinating subject on many levels.

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Presentation from the exhibit -The Horses of the Pharao 

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the second lecturer was Miriam Bibby who presented more material on the horse training within the context of chariotry. Eg we learn the construction of the chariot horse harness from the royal depictions, as well as the names of the Ramses II's chariot horses at Kadesh - Victory-in-Thebes and Mut-is-Content. 

This part of the lecture is rich in iconography and its context. 

After watching it I have a feeling that the panel is a bit less informed on the military of the New Kingdom Egypt than on horses themselves.

The final, pre-recorded presentation, by Alberto (I missed his last name) at the end of the 2h,  - on the alleged horse riding in ancient Egypt in the 2nd millennium, circa 1h 44 min into the video,  - is not my favorite but for the iconography included and worth studying

enjoy the presentation

Valete

Wallahusen - Jacobi's Kriegkunst & Kavallerie

 Salvete Omnes,

almost a decade ago I wrote this post about the Gdansk citizen and military theoretician Johann von Wallhausen.

Today just some plates from his book published by Paul Jacobi and scans available from Deutsche Fotothek. 

Horse & rider training - including war horse desensitizing with fire, noise and obstacles

emjoy

Valete

Ancient Egypt horses, stallion & mares - a 'libre' article

 Salvete Omnes,

from the Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies (2026) comes this article:

On Stallions and Mares: Gendering of War Horses used in Ancient Egypt.  by Uros Matic & Loneke Delpeut.  - so perhaps you may find this approach to horse history of interest 

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Article is nicely illustrated too. 

enjoy

Valete

Godolphin Barb & Arabian

 Salvete Omnes,

The Godolphin Barb - foaled in 1724AD, died 1753.  

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detail from George Stubbs' painting

Valete

Byerley Turk & Darley Arabian

 Salvete Omnes,

perusing the Archive world library I cam across some late 1800s/early 1900s books on the English racing  horses. eg this book:The Famous horses.

It contains the description of the earliest known race horse in England in the XVII century and early XVIII century. The imports - Arabian, Turkish, Tatar and Barb stallions were raced and the best bred with local English mares.

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. Darley Arabian was one of the early imports

Roger Upton, in his book Newmarket and Arabia wrote these pages -

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to be con.
enjoy

Valete