context of the most intensively studied group of human burials from
ancient Macedonia, namely the remains of four horses retrieved from the
funeral pyre(s) of Tomb II at Vergina, along with an impressive range of
other mammal bones.^113 Only some of the burnt horse bones, together
with parts of their bridles, and bones from two dogs, some birds, and
somefish, survived thefire of cremation and were recovered by archae-
ologists. The iron bit, presumed to belong to the male burial in Tomb II,
was found complete with its bronze snaffle, on top of the vault above the
tomb. It is similar to the bit shown on the horse of the frontally
positioned rider in the centre of the painted façade of Tomb II. The bit
was published by Faklaris before it became clear that there were horse
bones amongst the species slaughtered and burnt on the same pyre. In
addition to the published bit, the pyre contained parts of another full
horse bit, most of a third set, and fragments of two further bits, all of
iron, together with additional bridle parts, including bronze phalerae,
each decorated with an eight-petalled rosette; fragments of leather straps
with nails, both iron and bronze, adhering to them; 18–20 U-shaped iron
strips, perhaps to cover the bridle straps; various other iron nails, and six
copper alloy nails, with traces of leather, which may have belonged to the
Fig. 4.11.Horse grazing, Septemvri, central Bulgaria.notes the burial of partial horse skeletons, either of the head and limbs, as at Histria and
Sveshtari; or of partial or complete skeletons without the head, as at Yankovo (mound 2),
Zimnicea horse 8; and others: Kouzmanov 2005, 145.(^113) Antikas 2006, 206; see further discussion in Chs 7 and 8.
Thelongue duréein the north Aegean 185