Quadruped

This figurine, although ill proportioned, is identified with certainty as a horse because of its long neck and tail. A comparable horse figurine in the Godard collection has similar proportions (1). The features on the long, narrow face of the Harvard horse are not defined, although the mouth is open, perhaps indicating the horse has exerted itself though labor or physical activity. The prominent, hollowed-out ears are asymmetrical. Beginning behind the ears, a mane, marked by four small peaks or tufts, extends down the neck. The thick tail also bears vertical ridges mimicking the definition of the mane. On the back is a deep indentation, around which the outline looks raised, probably representing a blanket. A removable rider figurine may originally have been positioned on the horse’s back. Although the overall form of this horse is crude, because details were added in the metal, it likely was in a satisfactorily finished state and considered acceptable for use. The aesthetic quality of this object, then, was probably not of primary importance; rather, its function, whether physical or symbolic, would have outweighed appearances. An isolated, mountainous region, Luristan (western Iran) has extensive green valleys that are used today as pastures for horse breeding. Based on the large number of elaborate pieces of ancient copper alloy harness equipment derived from this region, it is evident that horses were culturally significant during the first millennium BCE (2). However, due to limited archaeological survey and excavation, it is not known precisely what role they would have played. Horses are well suited to serve in warfare and as transport for a highly mobile population. They may also have been bred for export as a valuable commodity. NOTES: 1. See E. de Waele, Bronzes du Luristan et d’Amlash, Publications d’historie de l’art et d’archeologie de l’Université Catholique de Louvain 34 (Louvain-La-Neuve, 1982) 168, no. 256, fig. 138. 2. Neo-Assyrian texts often mention horses obtained from subject territories as royal tribute and booty. For examples from the reigns of Sargon II and Sennacherib, see D. D. Luckenbill, Ancient Records of Assyria and Babylonia 2 (Chicago, 1927) 11, 23, 29, 76-77, and 116-17. For examples from the reigns of Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal, see L. Waterman, Royal Correspondence of the Assyrian Empire (Ann Arbor, 1930-36) 44-51, 160-63, 258-63, and 440-43; letters 61, 63-64, 71, 241-42, 371-76, and 633. Amy Gansell