A Guide to the Exhibition Illustrating Greek and Roman Life

XVI.—HORSES AND CHARIOTS. (Wall-Cases 49-51.)

Reading edition

Illustration from A Guide to the Exhibition Illustrating Greek and Roman Life

Fig. 204.—Roman Racing Chariot (No. 502). L. 10½ in.

Roman chariots are represented by a good bronze model (No. 502; fig. 204) found in the Tiber. This is a racing car, drawn at full speed by two horses, one of which is now lost. It corresponds closely to the cars used for racing in the circus, such as may be seen in Case 110. At the end of the pole (appearing just behind the horse's mane) is a decoration in the form of a ram's head, an ornament of the same character as the four bronze objects placed with the horse-muzzles in the upper part of Case 51 (No. 503). These have decorations in the form of the bust of a Satyr blowing a horn, and busts of a boy, an Amazon, and a Cupid respectively. In the lowest parts of Cases 50 and 51 are various bronze decorations, which have no doubt belonged to axle-boxes and other parts of a chariot, but their exact arrangement is not clear.

Fig. 205.—Roman Car for Carrying Images to the Circus (No. 506). L. 2 ft. 10½ in.

Fig. 206.—Greek Bit (No. 508). Width, ca. 9 in.

Fig. 207.—Bronze Horse-Muzzle (No. 509). Ht. ca. 9 in.

Fig. 208.—Iron Hobble (No. 510). 1:4.

(502) Cat. of Bronzes, 2695; (503) ibid., 2696 ff.; (504) ibid., 2520; (505) Cat. of Terracottas, C 612; (506) Cat. of Sculpt., III., 2310; (507) Cat. of Bronzes, 357; (508) Cf. Pernice, Griech. Pferdegeschirr, pll. ii. and iii. (56th Winckelmannsfestprogramm); (509) ibid., pl. i. and pp. 6-16; (510) Cf. Rev. Arch., 1900 (36), p. 296 ff; Smith, Dict. of Ant.³, s.v. Solea.

Notes in this chapter

Note 1 · : E.g., on B.M. Coins of Ionia, pl. xx. 7 (Coin of Magnesia: Gordianus Pius).Note 2 · : Xen., De re eq. x. 6: πρῶτον μὲν τοίνυν χρὴ οὐ μεῖον δυοῖν χαλινοῖν κεκτῆσθαι; τούτων δὲ ἔστω ὁ μὲν λεῖος, τοὺς τροχοὺς εὐμεγέθεις ἔχων, ὁ Note 3 · : De re eq. v. 3.Note 4 · : Xen., op. cit., iv. 3.Note 5 · : Thuc., vii. 27, 5.Note 6 · : Suet., Ner. 30.Note 7 · Another form of Roman car is illustrated by the fine hanging bronze lamp representing the Moon-goddess (Luna), drawn in her chariot by a pai Note 8 · Horse-trappings.—Case 50 contains two interesting sets of bronze harness of an early date from Italy, probably of the eighth century B.C. (N Note 9 · Case 51 contains three examples of muzzles for horses (No. 509), nearly complete, with a fragment of a fourth. These muzzles are in bronze, Note 10 · It has been a subject of controversy whether Greek and Roman horses were shod. There is no mention of horse-shoes in Greek literature, and i