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Original illustration
The following link leads you via ARCHAEOLOGY NEWS NETWORK directly to the original presentation in the museum in Olympia (please scroll down a little bit):
archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2012/09/olympia-myth-cult-games.html#.ViT4Xia9FLN
The domestication of the horse (Greek. hippos, lat. equus) took place before the 3rd millennium BC.
It was predominantly descended from the Tarpan, an extinct form of the Eurasian wild horse found to the west of the Urals. In Europe it appeared in Central Macedonia around 2500 BC and was not widely spread at first. The first horse presentation is in Mycenae. Legend has it that Poseidon introduced it in Attica. Horse breeding was highly developed here.
At first, the horse was only used for pulling chariots and later for riding. The Quadriga, a two-wheeled four-man team with horses strained next to each other, is mentioned here. Since the 7th century BC the Quadriga was only used as a parade carriage for emperors. And as racing cars in sporting competitions. The car racing scene is famous in the antique circus with Charlton Heston in Ben Hur, although there was a lack of authenticity. The possession of horses has always been a sign of wealth and power.
In ancient art, horses were a popular motif. Pegasos was born as a winged horse. The North African and Spanish horse breeding was also highly appreciated. Outstanding race horses came from Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.
The Romans built hippodromes for racing competitions in many cities. The best known was the Hippodrome in Constantinople, today's Istanbul. Built in the years 203-330 it was equipped with 80,000 seats. The horse was less used in agriculture.
Teutons sacrificed horses and consumed the flesh. After Christianization, the enjoyment of horse meat was frowned upon.
The original of the bronze horse statue, which was originally stretched in front of a quadriga - the remains of the harness can still be found on the head and body - was excavated in the southern philosophy school in Olympia. It is dated 470-460 B. C. and is exhibited at the museum in Olympia under the inventory number B 1000.
The replica is true-to-scale (height 24 cm, length 23 cm) made of Keramin, a high-strength special gypsum, in bronze finish.
This product was added to our catalog on Monday, February 3, 2014.