Pre-Historic Horse Images Comparison Across Continents

by Thomas Kummert www.-.com The depiction of wild horses in pre-historic These riders are most shown with arms, , or as some prefer to call predominantly long and seldom with it, is wide spread and similar to other animals bow and . being depicted by our pre-historic ancestors. On very late images dating around 2,000 years But horses seemed to have always a special ago we also see riders with defensive shields meaning to men different to other animals. indicating the use of horses not for hunt but in Their relationship was and still is more specific. military action. Please see the various pictures from Capo di Ponte in the Val Camonica in Therefore in this article I want to look at the northern showing Roman influence. different ways horses were engraved or It is interesting that the Neolithic art of rock painted on rock surfaces thousands of years engravings were still practiced throughout the ago. But this time we start with the most . recent or youngest images and then go back in time First Working Horses looking at Neolithic and Depictions of then at the first Paleolithic working horses are depictions. seldom as single or double axel Horse cartridges normally There is an important are shown drawn by distinction of pre-historic oxen. But in the Val horse images we want to Camonica these do deal with first. We do not exist. know the exact timeline when it really happened. And plough drawing But one thing is clear, horse images are horses with riders indicate also to be seen here. that domestication had We have to remember taken place. that petroglyphs never were created

2 in perspective. Therefore Saudi Arabia I discovered cartridges are shown as a very telling engraving flat images in top down pictured in this article. view with sticking out as flat circles on the Because it is of such side. interest this image found its way into a 500 page This is also true for book only showing pre- the amazing Vallee des historic horse images. Merveilles site high up in the French The image of a horse Sea Alps close to the drawn single axel cart small picturesque French looks unfinished as the mountain town Tende on rider sits on a kind of stool the border with Italy. without wheels. But he holds the reigns attached These images are to the horses head. These maximum 2,500 years old. images are only found Which really is not old for near Al-Ula. petroglyphs but we are talking here about working We can be certain that horses which just came to these horse carts could about that time. not be used in this sandy and rocky desert area. Bright Red Rock We know that Pharaoh Another fact makes these Ramses II passed close by images special. Most rock with his army to fight the engravings were created Hittites about 3,300 years on red rock surfaces which ago. shine brilliantly red in the late afternoon sun. They transported many dismantled horse carts This red surface coverage by hand. How light these was created by a natural carts were, we can see in chemical process over the Tutankhamun burial very long time through chamber with its rich oxidation of strong iron furnishings. content in the rock. This varnish type coverage King Nabonidus makes rock engravings Why has the last Neo- easy as simple scratching Babylonian King removes the red surface. Nabonidus been depicted on horseback in the Puzzling Horse Carts Saudi Arabian desert near But the horse cart images Tayma? in northern Saudi Arabia are older and specifically The reason is obvious interesting. First they were about 500 before Christ he not recognized as such conquered the important as they are misleading. desert oasis with huge Reason being that the water resources and engravings are not precise strategic trading center of and look rather unfinished. Tayma.

But then on one of my And he erected a huge many trips in northern palace here to stay. In the

3 Surprising Discovery The features of the Al-Magar But newer research comes to a horse are similar to different result. In March 2010 those of the original Arabian a new archeological site in horse, characterized by its long Saudi Arabia called Al-Magar neck and unique head shape. was investigated. For more information please read the specific article about Various archaeological Al-Magar on this website. important items were discovered in this isolated Horse or Mule? desert area between Najran Nevertheless the Al-Magar rock engraving picture he is and Wadi Al-Dawasir. horse domestication history clearly recognizable through was disputed, like it is common his Babylonian clothing. The most surprising with all new discoveries. discoveries were various An inscription below also rather large horse statues Hundred experts have indicates, who this important skillfully crafted out of stone. thousand theories one rider is. In Tayma still today These and the other Neolithic archeologist once explained to ongoing excavations deliver artifacts and stone were me. So some experts think that interesting new discoveries all dated with an age of 10,000 the Al-Magar horse heads look about his stay far away from years. rather like mules. home. Amazing Al-Magar This could be possible as wild First Place of Domestication These horse statues turned donkeys or onager did exist So far the general expert out to be a world sensation. in this region. Yes one stone opinion was that horses were First for their rather large size head looks like a mule. But all domesticated in the greater of about one meter, which was the others look clearly horse region of today’s Kazakhstan enormous for that time. like. about 4,500 years ago. And secondly they still showed Further I doubt this opposing Here in the open horse painted headgear and bridle. opinion and can prove it. Look depictions were created Al-Magar gave us the proof, at the pictures of two engraved using the simple direct stone that horses were domesticated horse riders from the Al-Magar hammering method. This can for the first time worldwide in area I took myself. be easily distinguished by Saudi Arabia 4,500 years earlier the uneven surface engraving than previously thought. These horses really look like lines. Arabian horses and fit with their patina and other animal And next to wild horses we images next to them into also see first horse riders. We the Al-Magar dating. knew already that wild horses existed for over hundred Horse Petroglyphs thousand years. So the There are various rock art conclusion was clear. drawings in the Al-Magar area. The petroglyphs were created

4 by deep pecking and engraving Age Evaluation The most realistic in my the dark patinated rocks. Can we apply the same view are the 35,000 year old research results for pre- paintings in the Chauvet The blackish rock surface historic depictions? . Than we can look at the receives its color through If we as non-experts look at 20,000 year younger horses the same natural chemical human images engraved on of . They are still process explained before. The rock, we would assume, that rather realistic, but already black color here results from simple stick figure depictions somewhat less. manganese content in the rock are certainly the oldest. and is called desert varnish. The 5,000 year old wild horses But petroglyph experts of Kazakhstan also still fit Ibex, ostriches and other established, that the more the realistic picture. But animals as well as human realistic an image is the older then 2,000 years later when figures including horse riders it is. So it really is the other horses were used for hunting were carefully depicted. The way round, when it comes purposes they became more petroglyphs collected over to ancient rock art dating. stick figure like. time a certain amount of black In addition we also have the desert varnish coverage again. engraving technique to help Important Hunting us with dating images. In hunting scenes they were This indicates that they were engraved with stretched front made rather early on during Different Depictions and hind legs to show speed. the time when the site was This is also true for horse Their riders were using very inhabited 10,000 years ago depictions. Horses without long lances to pierce wild and not thereafter by passing riders were created in a more animals rather than throwing caravans. realistic look. spears. We also see chasing dogs to assist in the hunt. Using horses for hunting purposes needed really well trained animals to be successful.

Bedouin Images Interesting are the horse engravings in the north Arabian Nafud Desert. They are rather specific and look like coming out of a children’s book.

5 Some say they are No they were typical Arabian horses. important messages Yes they have some for generations to similarities. come. And possibly they were crafted But I am intrigued by for religious beliefs the childish depiction. and to appease their How can this be gods. Therefore explained? There is images in the open only one explanation. were not painted but They have been engraved. created by Bedouins who loved their horses Ceremonial and wanted to create These caves were the perfect image. not used for living purposes, At the same time in southern but as places for rituals and Oldest Horse various caves were ceremonies. What we still do Now let’s take a step back in skillfully decorated with not know is, which rituals time. The oldest horse images elaborate wild animal scenes. were practiced here. were created by homo sapiens after he moved into Europe. The black charcoal paintings One reason might be that on white covered wall large and deep caves were He roamed huge areas as surfaces up to 200 meter deep used by animals such as hunter-gatherer in small clans in the Chauvet Cave were bears to hibernate in winter. of twenty to forty members. discovered only in 2009 and This happened around 50,000 look amazingly realistic. A different species living in years ago. Interestingly in They show great detail and caves with their off-spring today’s our ancestors differ in character. It seems at the time were cave lions. did not paint animals including each horse has a different facial Was it a mythical reason to horses on rock surfaces, but expression and personality. hold up ceremonies here? they carved skillful figurines out of ivory. Important Message Lascaux Cave It is interesting to note that our Nearly 20,000 years later the In the southern Swabia Alb ancestors certainly wanted horse images in the Lascaux region they created about their art work to survive for Cave look surprisingly less 30,000 years ago magnificent long. Their elaborate paintings skillfully refined. figurines including horses. were not pictures created only Here the oldest for themselves to fade away But now our ancestors used worldwide was also discovered. quickly. color in their paintings like

6 brown, reddish and black. And But imagine this! Than they Olympic high tech spears. And the type and form of horses buried the horse skeletons tests proved they had a similar have changed too. together with their hunting flight pass and went as far as spears, which killed the modern spears. One looks like a cold blood, horses. In total eight such others seem larger or carrying burials were attested. It really Impossible to believe that a baby. was the first ceremonial spears could not really burial of a horse. Let’s call be improved through our Horses depicted here are still it a “thanksgiving” burial to sophisticated over wild horses. We know they appease the gods? three hundred thousand years. were probably not hunted. Because the main diet of For what other reason would Through trial and error pre- our ancestors consisted of they have done it? And think historic men had developed reindeer. again - this happened 300,000 already the perfect long years ago! Is this enough proof distance hunting weapon. This was available in that the relationship between abundance at the time and men and horse is special? This proves that we have to re- easy to hunt. Its leather and examine our opinion about the fur was also better for clothing Highly Developed Ancestors sophistication and physical as compared to horses. Let me give you another well as mental abilities of pre- amazing fact about these historic . 300,000 Years Ago spears. Now we take a really huge step back in history. A sensational Imagine these spears were as Conclusion discovery was made 1992 in long, heavy and had the same Neolithic horse images were Germany. point of gravity as modern mostly engraved on rock throughout Europe, In an open pit coal mine Middle East and Asia. the oldest wooden hunting spears were Cave paintings saved shortly before were predominantly destruction by huge created in France scraping shovels. and Spain. From the many examples we Later research have described in showed that homo this article we can h e i d e l b e r g e n s i s conclude that the hunted wild horses relationship between here. After each kill horse and man was they cut the meat off special already the with sharp before horses were stone cutting tools. domesticated.

7 So far we have no good depictions. And they often varnish the scratching method examples of pre-historic engraved their objects later was common as it showed horse images in the Americas from imaginations in their quick results. and Africa as well as Australia. mind. There are also specific regional But in Europe and Asia there Horse images changed over styles we see in horse images. are plenty and wide spread. time. We can say that first These came up later with horse images were created by direct domestication and might In the various images we see pecking with a hammer stone. have resulted from copying a different horse heads and preferred shape and look. types. Later the more precise indirect pecking technique with a hard Interesting is the variance in But we have to remember that stone chisel was used. size of riders compared to not all creators of pre-historic their horse. Sometimes they rock art images were similarly During the Bronze Age metal are ridiculous small. Here it talented. chisels came in use. Where seems the horse depiction rock surfaces were softer or was more important than the That we often see in some covered by red or black desert rider or owner.

Travel Tips The following sites can be visited: Italy – Capo di Ponte, visit Naquane National Park & Seradina-Bedolina Park France – Tende, Valle des Merveilles, pre-book guided mountain tour France – Dordogne, Lascaux Cave, pre-book tickets France – Ardeche, Chauvet Cave, pre-book tickets Spain – Santander, Altamira Cave, pre-book tickets Portugal – Villa Nova da Foz Coa, Coa Valley, pre-book tours Germany – Ulm, Blaubeuren & Vogelherd museums, the last two situated close to Ulm Germany – Palaeon Museum, close Schöningen / Helmstedt, pre-historic spears

Weblinks Italy - Capo di Ponte National Parks www.archeocamuni.it France – Valle des Merveilles www.destination-merveilles.com/vallee-merveilles/ France – Lascaux Cave www.lascaux-dordogne.com www.lascaux.fr France – Chauvet Cave www.archeologie.culture.fr/chauvet/ Germany – Palaeon Museum www.palaeon.de Portugal – Coa Valley www.arte-coa.pt Spain – Altamira Cave www.culturaydeporte.gob.es/mnaltamira/home

Picture Credits We thank the Lascaux, Chauvet & Altamira authorities for making available some of their pictures.

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