The Coming of the GreeksBecause of the lack of written records for the area, archaeol-
ogy has always been an important source of evidence for both
the horses and the vehicles of ancient Armenia. Even in the
early decades of this century, hippological surveys presented
Armenia as something of a bonanza in this respect. Here were
found bronze bits, the earliest known antler snaffle, vehicles of
various types, and much ancient harnessing. All of the artifacts
came from graves, most of which were dug for humans, but a
good many of which were specifically intended for horse buri-
als. If one surveyed all of the archaeological evidence for the
use of horses in western Asia, one specialist concluded, "so
stellt sich etwa Transkaukasien als sein geographisches Zen-
trum dar." 106 The hippological record of Armenia as it was
known in the early 19505 was meticulously presented in Franz
Hangar's massive survey. 107 I select here three illustrative ex-
amples. Horses that were "valued personally" by their owners
were given elaborate burials, with grave goods that occasion-
ally included gold. 108 The "Transcaucasian snaffle bit" was
technologically superior to (and more effective than) other an-
cient bits; it attests to the primacy of the area in the breeding
of high-spirited horses and its priority in the development of
superior and more effective harness and gear. 109 A stele of ca.
800 B.C., found to the east of Lake Van, marks the spot where
Arshibini, an obviously long-legged horse belonging to King
Menua, jumped thirty-seven feet.II0
Until recently there has been little material evidence for the
horse in Armenia and Transcaucasia before the first millennium
more specific location, see Kammenhuber's review (Hippologia Hetbitica, 36
and n. 143) of knowledgeable guesses; the Uzun Yayla location, favored by
Kammenhuber, was proposed by F. Cornelius.
- Hermes, "Das gezahmte Pferd im alten Orient," 387-88.
- Hangar, Das Pferd, 123—93 ("Grenz- und Bruckehland Kauka-
sien"). - Ibid., 180-8;.
- Ibid., 182-85.
no. Ibid., 181.