30 THE HORSE OF AMERICA. 



"horsemen and chariots very many/' and which is the earliest 

 Scriptural instance in which horses were employed in battle. 



The territory embracing the ancient countries of Eastern Asia 

 Minor, bounded on the north by the Black Sea and the Caucas- 

 ian mountains, on the south by the thirty-seventh degree of 

 north latitude, and extending to the Caspian Sea, has always 

 been remarkable for the variety, value, and abundance of its agri- 

 cultural products. Many of the very early historians have noted 

 the fact that each one of the countries embraced in this territory 

 was distinguished for the excellence and numbers of horses pro- 

 duced, and they appear in about the following order, namely, 

 Armenia, Cappadocia, Cilicia, Media. The last-named country 

 embraced what is now the northern part of Persia, and as between 

 the "Medes" and the "Persians" there is no little confusion in 

 the public mind, as sometimes one was on top and sometimes the 

 other. Then, to add to the confusion, the Assyrians came in, 

 occupying the same country and the same capitals. For our 

 present purposes it is not necessary to enter into the considera- 

 tion of these successive dynasties. The Medes were comparatively 

 newcomers, and as they were a great military people their promi- 

 nence in horse history resulted more from the spoils of war and 

 the tribute in horses that they collected from their neighbors 

 than from their own production. Kitto says that in the time of 

 the Persian empire the plain of Nissaeum was celebrated for its 

 horses and horse races. This plain was near the city of Nissaea, 

 around which were fine pasture lands, producing excellent clover. 

 The horses were "entirely white" (probably grey) and of extraor- 

 dinary height and beauty, as well as speed. They constituted 

 part of the luxury of the great, and a tribute in kind was paid 

 from them to the monarch, who, like all Eastern sovereigns, used 

 to delight in equestrian display. Some idea of the opulence of 

 the country may be had when it is known that, independently of 

 imposts rendered in money, Media (then the undermost dog), 

 paid a yearly tribute of not less than three thousand horses, 

 four thousand mules, and nearly one hundred thousand sheep. 

 The races, once celebrated through the world, seem to exist no 

 more. 



When Darius the Mede had extended his empire over the 

 whole of Western Asia and Egypt, he exacted heavy tribute in 

 horses from all subjugated provinces. This was about 520 B.C., 

 and antedated the racing referred to above. In all parts of his 



