“540. HORSES AND CHARIOTS—ISAIAH 36:8”
Horses and Chariots—Isa_36:8
An essentially equestrian people like the Assyrians must have been singularly impressed by the absence of cavalry among the Hebrews; and, seeing the inordinate estimation in which this kind of force was anciently held, this fact goes far to explain the supreme contempt with which the Assyrian commander speaks of the military resources of the nation. That this had its root in this circumstance is shown by the bitter taunt of Rabshakeh—“Now therefore, give pledges, I pray thee, to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them.” There are other passages indicating that, in the view of the Jews, the Assyrians were remarkable for their cavalry. So Hosea (Hos_14:3)—“Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses.”
Assyrian Horseman
In fact the mention of Assyria is as much connected with horses, as that of Arabia would be now. Arabia, on the other hand, is connected with camels, never with horses; and there appears reason to doubt that Mesopotamia and the neighboring deserts of Arabia, possessed in Biblical times that noble breed of horses for which it has since been famous, and whether it was not rather introduced shortly before the Arabian conquest. Solomon would not have needed to import horses from Egypt, had Arabia possessed an equal or a more valuable breed. It may indeed be urged, that this king wanted horses trained for chariots, not saddle-horses, for which alone Arabia has ever been celebrated. But to this it may be answered, Arabians are always represented as riding on camels; and it is historically stated that the Arabians in the army of Xerxes were mounted on camels, and were placed in the rear, because the camels frightened the horses. Note: Herodotus, vii., 87. This fact is remarkable, as showing that the camels were not then accustomed to the company of horses in their own country.
But to return to Assyria and its horses, it may be remarked that the Kurds, the modern inhabitants of Assyria, are to this day noted for their horses and horsemanship in a degree scarcely second to the Arabians. We are not sufficiently versed in the “points” of the horse to be able to say, whether the breed that we ourselves continually saw and rode upon in that country, be the same as that of the sculptures; but, speaking from inexperienced impression merely, we should think the Assyrian horses of the sculptures of somewhat heavier build, which may arise from their being among the Assyrians not less in demand—perhaps more in demand—for the chariot than for the saddle. The horse of the sculptures is, however, in the judgment of Layard, “well formed, and apparently of noble blood.” He adduces some reasons for believing that the Egyptians derived their horses from the Assyrian provinces. To these horses he applies the allusion of the prophet (Hab_1:8) to the horses of the Chaldeans, which must have been of the same breed—“Their horses are swifter than the leopards, and more fierce than the evening wolves.” He declares that no one can look at the horses of the early Assyrian sculptures, without being convinced that they are drawn from the finest models. The head is small and well shaped, the nostrils large and high, the neck arched, the body long, and the legs slender and sinewy. That the Assyrians carefully portrayed animals, is shown by their figures of lions, bulls, goats, and stags, so frequently introduced in their bas-reliefs; it is highly probable, therefore, that they carefully copied the forms of their horses, and showed the points for which they were most distinguished. It is not unlikely that, as Layard well supposes, the plains watered by the Tigris and Euphrates, producing during the winter and spring the richest pasturage, were at the earliest period as celebrated as they are now for the rearing of horses, particularly when so large a supply must have been demanded for the cavalry and chariots of Assyrian armies.
Mounted cavalry formed an important part of the Assyrian army. Horsemen are seen in the earliest sculptures at Nimrud, and disciplined bodies of cavalry appear in the bas-reliefs at Koyunjik. Correspondingly, the apocryphal book of Judith represents the Assyrian general, Holofernes, as having in his army 12,000 archers on horseback; and Ezekiel (Eze_23:6) speaks of “Assyrians clothed in blue, captains and rulers, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding upon horses.” The king himself, however, is never represented on horseback in sculptures, although a horse richly caparisoned, apparently for his use—perhaps to enable him to flee, should his chariot horses be killed—is frequently seen led by a warrior, and following his chariot. In the earliest sculptures, the horses, except such as follow the king’s chariot, are unprovided with clothes or saddles. The rider is seated on the naked back of the animal. At a later period, however, a kind of pad appears to have been introduced; and in a sculpture at Koyunjik, is represented a high saddle, not unlike those still used in the East. Stirrups were not known even to the Romans of the empire, and are not to be looked for in Eastern sculptures.
The prophet Nahum (Nah_3:3) says—“The horsemen lifted up both the bright sword and the glittering spear.” Accordingly, the horsemen are armed either with the sword and bow, or with the sword and long spear. They wore short tunics, and their legs and feet were bare. When riding without pads or saddles, they sat with their knees almost on a level with the horse’s back; but after the introduction of saddles, their limbs appear to have been more free, and they wore greaves or boots, but were still unprovided with stirrups. An archer requires both his hands to be disengaged for his weapons; and the bow would therefore appear to be the most unsuitable of weapons to be used on horseback.
Assyrian Horse
Assyrian Horses
This difficulty was met at certainly a costly expenditure of human and animal power, by providing a second horseman, who in action rode beside the archer, and held and guided his steed, so that, in fact, the efficiency of every bow was at the expense of two men and two horses. Those armed with the spear, the most suitable weapon for cavalry, had no need of the second horseman to hold the reins. The riding horses are less profusely ornamented than those in harness, the horsemen being probably of inferior rank to those who fought in chariots. The head stall was surmounted by an arched crest, and around the neck was an embroidered collar, ending in a rich tassel or bell. It will be called to mind, that bells for the necks of horses are mentioned by the prophet Zechariah (Zec_14:20). In at least one of the sculptured examples, the bell very distinctly appears.
Assyrian Chariot of the early period
Chariots also figured largely in Assyrian warfare. The king and principal officers always appear in chariots, never on horseback, nor, except in sieges, on foot. Each chariot contained two or three persons. The king, was always accompanied in the chariot by two or three attendants—the charioteer, and the warrior who protected the royal person with a shield, the latter being exchanged, in time of peace, for an eunuch with an umbrella.
The Assyrian chariot seems to have been made of wood. It appears to have been open behind; but, unlike those used by the Egyptians, to have been completely paneled at the sides. It varied considerably in form at different periods. As represented in the earliest monuments, it is low, with the upper part rounded. To each side were affixed, as in Egypt, two quivers containing arrows, a small crooked bow, a javelin, and a battleaxe. In the Egyptian chariots, there are only two horses; but although the yoke of the Assyrian chariot is only for two, there are generally three in harness. As there is no indication of traces, nor can it be ascertained from the sculptures how the third horse is attached, it is conjectured that it was intended to supply the place of one of the other horses when killed or seriously wounded, and did not actually draw.
Assyrian Chariot of the later period
In these earlier chariots, the wheels have six spokes, but in later examples the number is eight. Other changes, both in the form and size of the chariot, also appear. It is larger, and much higher, the wheel alone being almost as high as a man. The upper part is not rounded, but square, with a projection in front, that may have been a case to receive arrows, quivers being no longer attached to the sides, as in the older examples. The panels are carved and adorned with rosettes and tassels. The whole chariot is thus brought to a nearer resemblance to the old Persian chariot, with which, as copied from the sculptures at Persepolis, the public have long been acquainted. They seem to have been often completely covered with ornaments. Those represented in the earlier monuments had a very elegant molding or border around the sides; and Layard thinks they were probably inlaid with gold, silver, and precious woods, and also painted. In one case, the figure of a king drawing a bow is placed as a device on a chariot panel. Chariots armed with scythes do not appear, though the statement of a Greek historian might have led us to look for them. Note: Ctesias, who says that chariots so armed were in the army of Ninus; but scholars seldom rely much upon the uncorroborated statements of this author.
The harness and trappings of the chariot horses were extremely rich and elegant—certainly not less so than those of the Egyptians. Plumes waved over the holds of the animals, or fanciful crests rose gracefully in an arch above their ears, and descended in front to their nostrils; and to these ornaments were sometimes appended long ribbons or streamers, that floated in the wind. Large tassels of wool or silk, dyed of many colors, fell on the forehead, and were attached to many parts of the harness. The bridle generally consisted of a head stall, a strap divided into three parts connected with the bit, and straps over the forehead, under the cheeks, and behind the ears. All these details were elaborately ornamented; and it is probable that the bit, as well as many ornaments of the bridle and trappings, were of gold and other precious materials. Round the necks of the horses were hung tassels, rosettes, and engraved beads. Three straps, richly embroidered, passed under the forepart of the belly, keeping the harnesses and the chariot pole in their places; and a breast-band, adorned by tassels, was also supported by these straps. Embroidered clothes, or trappings, were frequently thrown over the backs of the chariot horses, and almost covered the body from the ears to the tail. Such clothes are mentioned by Ezekiel (Eze_27:20), “Dedan was thy merchant in precious clothes for chariots.”
The chariot horses of the later Assyrian period differed entirely in their trappings and ornaments from those of the earlier. High plumes, generally three in number, and rising one above the other, waved over their heads. Frequently an arched crest and cluster of tassels were placed between their ears. Similar tassels fell over their foreheads and hung around their necks. The harness attached to the yoke was more profusely ornamented with rosettes and fringes than that of the earlier Egyptian chariot, but the ornaments showed less variety of taste. The manes of the horses were either allowed to fall loosely on the neck, were plated, or were cut short, and stood erect. In the earlier sculptures, the tails of the horses were simply bound in the center with ribbons; in the later, the end is plaited, as is still the case in Persia and Turkey, and tied up in a bunch.
These particulars will furnish an adequate conception of the nature and appearance of that Assyrian force in horses and chariots, which invaded first Israel and then Judah, and which, from the frequent allusions of the prophets, appear to have been regarded by the people generally with mingled feelings of admiration and alarm.
Autor: JOHN KITTO