Horse in the era of the Pharaohs

Horses entered Egypt at the end of the Middle Kingdom, which is around 1780 BC, Its entry was linked to the arrival of nomadic groups known by the ancient Egyptians as the Hyksos, who are the Desert rulers. Soon the Egyptians loved horses, and they began to acquire its best breeds from the Arabian Peninsula. The most beautiful gifts that came to the pharaoh of Egypt was the one's including a beautiful horse depicted by the Egyptian artist on the walls of the tombs and pharaonic temples, After that the horses became a weapon of war used by the Pharaohs in their wars, Driving their famous war wheels, or the knights riding it, and they mastered the decoration of these horses, and in the work of saddles and covers which was decorated with gold and silver. One of the most beautiful revelations about the tomb of King Tutankhamun is the cover of his horse, it was made of gilded and colored leather, and it depicts exquisite views of the Pharaoh himself. It has become in Egypt since the times of the Pharaohs the most beautiful and most expensive breeds of horses that have been maintained for many centuries. Interest in horses started in Egypt since ancient times, Ancient Egyptians have known horses since the Stone Age, Rock and stone drawings have recorded images of horses, Ancient pharaohs or Egyptians was interested in horses, And they brought purebred horses from the east, They designed programs to raise them that exceeded all competitors in this field, The reason for the excellence of the pharaohs in the field of horses is because they rely on them to fight wars and battles on the one hand, As well as interest in breeding in the stables Royal.

William Nazeer, in his book "Livestock of the Ancient Egyptians" states that he still does not know the origin of the word that appeared in the ancient Egyptian language and the Semitic languages ​​of the horse, They are in Babylonian (Seso) and in Hebrew Sous and collected (Sosim) and derived from the name hieroglyphs (Sesame) and feminine (Sesmt), It is likely that the word (Sese) and (Sais), which we use now derive from the old name.

 The ancient Egyptians used to raise horses and use them in agricultural work, transport and war, and they have established stable stables and dedicated her servants to care and service.

They knew the horse as a much better means of transmission than the donkey. It was mentioned in the story of the two brothers of ancient Egyptian literature that the peasants used horses to drag plows, A horse plow was seen in the temple of Khonsu from the reign of Ramesses. It was mentioned (Plutarch) that the Egyptians knew the horses from the era of their gods, because the god "Horis" once asked his father about the most useful animals for war, he said to him that the horse is inflicted by the enemy and kill him.

With this phrase, horses were seen only during the Eighteenth Dynasty, Horses have been used in combat especially in dragging the wheels of war, and they choose from them what was Very enthusiastic and bold. The horses of Ramses II needed to be restrained by three servants who held them from their bridle. Egyptian horses have always represented antiquities as they grow or strike their ramps, they usually used male horses but they rarely use female horses.

Every man boasted about the horses he own "he prides himself on every man with his excellent horse". A text from the reign of Ramses II was found mentioning "the herds of horses" brought to Egypt from the country of the Hittites.

Artists of the New Kingdom have always ceased to represent the horse. Egyptian horses had great fame among other contemporary nations. It was mentioned in the Torah (1 Kings 4: 28,29) that Suleiman (peace be upon him) was buying horses, which obliged him from Egypt for 150 shekels of silver for a horse, from the group of traders traveling between Egypt and Syria.

The aid was used to drive the horse and go over (Akafh) in the sponsor to (shakima) and the method of harnessing the Persians is the same method is now common everywhere. Since the 19th Dynasty, the covers were also used for horse eyes.

The ancient Egyptians used to name names that have resonance especially on the horses of the Pharaohs, It was named for example a couple of horses for the first city (Amon gives power) and (Amon reached victory) (and His Majesty's first two great horses).

Some horses had a beautiful white color, It seems that the horse was unknown at the time. It is rare to find an image of an Egyptian riding a horse, This has remained the case until the later ages of history. On the other hand, the ancient Egyptians in the New Kingdom knew that horse riding was a foreign habit, This is evidenced by many different images that represent the enemies fleeing on horseback or the goddess of the Asian war as a knight.

The names of the king's horses had a good ring, "His Majesty's first two great horses" For example, a couple of horses for the first city were named "Amon gives strength" and "Amon reached victory" The second pair was also called "Anat (goddess of war) satisfied". As can be seen from these names, horses were also used in combat, and they choose from them what was Very enthusiastic and bold, the horses of Ramses II needed to be restrained by three servants who held them from their bridle, Egyptian horses have always represented antiquities as they grow or strike their ramps, they usually used male horses but they rarely use female horses, Horses were often amount of color, however, once time we find a pair of beautiful white horses that shows that "castration" was not known then.

The horse was rarely used in ancient Egypt for riding, It is rare to find an image of an Egyptian riding a horse's back, And not in the other literary monuments of the modern state one position speaks of the investigation of an Egyptian knight. On the other hand, Egyptians in the New Kingdom knew that horse riding was a foreign habit, This is evidenced by many different images that represent the enemies fleeing on horseback or the goddess of the Asian war as a knight.

During the battles of expelling the Hyksos from Egypt the rulers of Thebes were forced and they are Ahmose, Amenophis I, Amenophis II, and the family of Tuthmosis to track them to Palestine and Syria; In order to preserve the security and sovereignty of the country, In order to preserve the security and sovereignty of the country, that's why they made sure to secure the country against the invaders, Since then, the Pharaoh became the commander of the army, The commander of the fighting forces, the commander of his horse-drawn carriage, During that period, it was refined horse training skills and art of war-wheel horse-drawn driving. It was found that there was widespread military use of the horse in Egypt that began during the reign of Tuthmosis the Third (1450 BC-1504 BC), he is one of the kings of the 18th Dynasty of Egypt, During his reign, the kingdom of Mitanni emerged, an ancient kingdom located in the eastern Mesopotamia (Tigris and Euphrates), That kingdom posed a threat to the East, it was very advanced in horse breeding, and as a result of the wars with the Mitanians the Egyptian cavalry was affected by them, And then they followed suit in the field of horse breeding. The Metanians were the first to hold horse races and took care of race horses, They are pioneers in the breeding and management of all stages of horse riding training.

What surprised archaeologists is that there are texts of thousands of lines containing instructions on breeding and training horses for war, these texts are considered the oldest written about horses, Dating back to more than 3,400 years, Written in the Hittite language; It is a language that belongs to the Indo-European language, The remains of this library were found in the capital of the Hittite kingdom(The ancient Hittites lived in Anatolia in Syria in the second millennium BC), And found an important collection of information about the art of horse breeding, from it: seven months are enough for training; So that the horse can abide by the rules and feel loyal to its owner or the one training it, The king of the Hittites at that time had rented the rides he rode and other "Mitanni"; So that he could manage his royal stables according to the latest techniques of that era, Thus, the Hittite Empire became large, based on the maneuver of its war horses.

Tuthmosis the Third was called "Napoleon of Ancient Egypt", where he penetrated northward into the Euphrates River in Iraq, He was the first to promote his kingdom in the Syrian and Palestinian areas, and collided with the Mitanians, He managed to eliminate them and expand the Egyptian Empire beyond the Euphrates River, Horses and carts were the most important spoils, Large numbers of horses that were injured were brought to southern Egypt with captives who knew how to take good care of horses, Among them: Hittite language scholars who wrote many texts about horses.

The ancient Egyptians preferred to use horses in towing warships, So during the great battle in Kadesh against the Hittites, It ended with the defeat of the Hittites, and those warships were transported by the ancient Egyptians from the Hyksos.

During the Battle of Kadesh a very interesting situation took place, The king of Kadesh knew that he would be defeated if he could not defeat the army of Tuthmosis, While the Egyptians were fighting in a neighboring city, The king of Kadesh sent his horse (female horses) against one chariot of Egyptian horses carts, In the hope of causing confusion in the battle and reversing, However, what happened was that an Egyptian named Amenhab jumped out of his cart and dropped the female horse on her foot until he grabbed and killed her, And cut her tail and gave it to the king, The era of warrior kings began in Egypt, With the fall of Kadesh, the last remnants of the Hyksos in Egypt ended.

Tuthmosis was certain that his son Aminophis II (1450-1415 BC) would be able to hold the reins of the empire he founded. Aminophis was 18 but he was mature, he learned all the lessons of war, And also learn how to train and ride horses, No one was better than him in the army, No one could beat him in any horse race and Tuthmosis was proud of his son, He allowed him to identify the best horses in the royal stables and ordered him to look after them, And teach him how to obey him, Aminophis II took care of the horses and the royal stables, The horses he trained were always the best. When he was tightening the bridle, those horses didn't get tired or needed sweets, Aminovis II then traveled to Syria to bring horses and chariots, And then Egypt became the main leading center for horses in the east, The royal stables of the pharaoh and the army contained thousands of the finest purebred Arabian horses.

Tuthmosis IV (1411-1420 BC) also carried out extensive hunting of lions and predators, He also trained horses (so they became faster than the wind). Indeed, this analogy deserves our appreciation, because it has since become known to the Arabian horses as fast as the wind.

Ramses II took power after the death of his father Seti I (1220 - 1225 BC), At that time he faced a danger in Syria with the Hittites, At that time he faced a danger in Syria with the Hittites, Where the Hittites tried to surprise Ramses II and attack him, Taking advantage of a split within his army, Ramses II became surrounded by a number of enemy vehicles, but he fought and was carried by his vehicle during the battle without causing damage, The battle ended in favor of Egypt.

When Ramses II got off his carriage, The first thing he thought was his horses that carried him during the battle, These horses weren't wounded by the battle, and they were just stained with blood and dirt, And some decorations that were embellished were torn, The necklace that was around its neck got broken.

In order to make sure that future generations will be aware of the originality of horses that he had , he made a record for future generations these lines:

"I fought with my hand and confronted millions of people, My strength in Thebes and Memphis was represented by my great horses, Which was in my hand when I was alone in the midst of a trembling enemy, Therefore, their food is served in front of me every day in the palace. "

There was an honorary place in the royal stables dedicated to the king's favorite horses, Unlike other horses, they are given an indefinite portion of food every day, So for her decoration, They were different from the other horses and in the Hittite description of the battle of Kadesh with Ramesses II, They said that some fought on the horses they ride by holding the bridle and without saddles, And the best thing was also the carriages that draw horses and this, if it shows the strangeness and distinctiveness of this type of purebred horses, Especially among Egyptians, The Hittite horses were simple compared to the horses used by the Egyptians in the battle, That helped them win.

The Asian campaigns led by Ramesses II and the military spirit awakened and revived by Ahmose the First after the expulsion of the Hyksos ended completely, It was no longer the same despite the continued breeding of horses in the land of Egypt and around the Nile, After Egypt became the main supplier of Arabian horses, Although Ramses II invaded many of the Hittite lands in the north, no one was able to reduce their power, That is why he stopped confronting them.

Peace did not last long, A few years later the ancient Palestinians landed on the Holy Land and Egypt, And moved towards Egypt, Ramses III (1198-1166 BC), like the rest of his family, began to prepare; To enter the battles. The most important of these are fast horses and chariots equipped to drag horses, Which can conquer soldiers under its feet.

The king of ancient Nubia Benakhi also recorded much about the Egyptian pharaohs and their horses, Pharaoh Benakhi (751-716 BC) cared for horses compared to his predecessors after he discovered several royal stables, Which was concerned with raising horses and ponies. The value of these horses is not appreciated in gold and silver, When Benaje died, he had four horses who had been ordered to be buried with him; So their souls shall be with him in the afterlife and they stand looking down.

This was the golden age of Egypt's horse-loving kings and pharaohs.