Chariot Kraters and Horse–human Relations in Late Bronze Age Greece and Cyprus

Abstract

This paper offers a new comprehensive catalogue and discussion of Late Helladic III chariot kraters, and explores what they reveal about horse–human relations in Greece and Cyprus in the Late Bronze Age. The nearly 400 known examples of chariot kraters were produced in mainland Greece and exported to Cyprus and the Levant. Although the vessels were surely adapted to local contexts, the motif of horses and chariot was part of the ‘international’ spirit of the Late Bronze Age and was meaningful throughout the eastern Mediterranean. Following a discussion of the chronological and geographical distribution of the kraters, alongside notes regarding changes in shape, we examine each of the elements of the characteristic horses-and-chariot motif in depth. This close analysis, supplemented by evidence from faunal remains, Linear B and other visual media, and combined with modern equine knowledge, allows us to understand some of the complexities of horse–human relations in ancient Greece and Cyprus. Through this, we see a co-becoming and mutual training of horse and human in the endeavour to become a successful chariot team; we can also recognise elements of ancient acknowledgement of equine agency and personhood. Horses and humans acted and reacted to each other, thereby living and learning together. The images on the chariot kraters reflect both ancient observation and knowledge of horses and caballine behaviour and artistic conventions and developments. Finally, horses were expensive animals to breed, keep and train (with accompanying expensive gear), and direct physical contact would have been for the fortunate few. The chariot kraters allowed a broader segment of the population to engage with horses and chariots, albeit indirectly.

Regional and interregional networks of ancient Eleon during the early 12th century BCE as seen from the petrographic and neutron activation analyses of pottery

“…We can also tentatively identify some trends among the workshops manufacturing kraters with respect to their decoration. For instance, both kraters assigned to EuA are decorated with chariot scenes (Table 1), an iconographic theme associated with elite segments of the population and limited in their production and distribution (Recht & Morris, 2021). Our analysis confirms that one of the producers of such kraters during the 12th century BCE was located on Euboea.…”

Provisioning urbanism: a comparative urban-rural zooarchaeology of ancient Southwest Asia

“…It would have been preferable to separate equids into wild and domestic categories but individual equid elements/fragments are notoriously difficult to classify taxonomically (Clutton-Brock 1986;Twiss et al 2017) and species identification for equid elements was not always possible or attempted for the zooarchaeological samples included in this study (see OSM2). Given the economic importance of domestic equids to archaeological civilisations within Southwest Asia (Postgate 1986;Recht 2022), we felt that it was better to include a combined equids taxonomic category as a means-albeit imperfect-of comparing the frequency of equids between sites, than to exclude their remains from the analysis.…”

Andrew Shapland. Human-Animal Relations in Bronze Age Crete: A History Through Objects (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2022, 290pp., 59 illustr., hbk, ISBN 978-1-009-15154-2)

“…For the Bronze Age Aegean, nonhuman animals and human-animal relations have received some attention (e.g. Halstead & Isaakidou, 2011; Harris & Hamilakis, 2014; Pappi & Isaakidou, 2015; Recht & Morris, 2021; papers in Laffineur & Palaima, 2021), but this is the first full-length monograph dedicated to the topic with this approach, and the first to focus specifically on Crete. Arguably, the book's importance lies just as much in its contribution to the study of Bronze Age Crete more broadly.…”