Monday, December 31, 2018

Dura-Europos - Rostovtzeff report of 1931-32 excavations - horses & tack

Salvete Omnes,
the Old Year is almost done - it was not the easiest one for many, for me the biggest loss was the death of my beloved German Shepherd dog Inka.
Anyway, perusing great Archive.org I came across several articles and books on the world library site, including  famous professor M. I. Rostovtzeff Report on 1931-32 excavations at Dura-Europos (captured and destroyed  by the Sassanians in AD 256) site in Syria. - curiously the Yale publication was printed in Praha, Czechoslovakia in 1934.


I would like to remind you that one of the best images, attached above, ancient images of the armoured horseman aka clibanarius/cataphractus comes from Dura-Europos (in graffito form) - you can read about the Parthian and Sassanian armor from Dura-Europos in the article by H. Wójcikowski (University of Rzeszow magazine Anabasis 4/2013 - available via academia) or Patryk Skupniewicz, or recent publication from Siedlce University & Azad Univeristy- on the Persian helmets.

 horse archers hunting graffito from Dura-Europos

Horse graffito from Dura Europos - the entire page from the Report - great horse tack and horse conformation information in there.

also professor Simon T. James article on the siege warfare during the siege of Dura-Europos by the Sassanians ( two vplatforms - academia & archive).
Valete!

ps

I am awaiting a book from D'Amato and Negin team on the Roman Heavy Cavalry, recommended to me by Patryk Skupniewicz. I have seen the plates already, 'published' on Facebook ( nota bene I am somewhat skeptical about the  reconstructions and horses etc), but I am quite curious about the text - I enjoyed their work, separate and joint,  in the past. None of these two authors has some serious knowledge (evident in the images and text made available) about the horses and horse tack, but they are solid on sources and excavated materials - nota bene the plates have some amazing artwork by Negin showing armour, weaponry and Roman emblems etc - now, how they have gone on interpreting them it remains to be seen until I read it.

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