190 THE HORSES OF PREHISTORIC [CH. 



colour, as we shall soon see. Another author 1 says that the 

 Parthian horses were regularly of a dun colour (flavus). The 

 statements of these two writers are by no means contradictory, 

 as might appear at first sight. It is the best horses of the 

 Parthians of which Strabo speaks when he likens them to the 

 Celtiberian grey horses, whilst the other is only referring to 

 the general colour of Parthian horses when he speaks of them 

 as dun-coloured. But the evidence which we have just passed 

 in review has shown that at the present day the horses in the 

 regions included within the Parthian empire, such as the 

 common Turcoman ponies, are regularly of a rufous or dun 

 colour, like the horses of the Yedic Aryan, whilst the superior 

 horses of the same countries, which are the result of crossing 

 the Upper Asiatic blood with Arab horses, are regularly of a 

 grey colour. It is therefore clear that in the first century B.C. 

 the horses of Asia Minor, Armenia, and Persia were practically 

 of the same colours as they are to-day, and it seems that the 

 peoples of that region already possessed horses of a type similar 

 to those obtained in modern times by crossing Upper Asiatic 

 and Arab stocks. Whence this superior element was obtained 

 we shall soon learn. 



Now Strabo 2 makes the very important statement that the 

 Parthian horses of his day were similar to the famous Nisaean 

 steeds, which were bred by the ancient Achaemenid Persian 

 kings in the fifth century B.C. 



The ancient Persians rode habitually on horseback, and no 

 gentleman would ever be seen going on foot anywhere 3 . In 

 camp they always hobbled their horses 4 , and they sacrificed 

 horses as well as bulls to their gods 5 . According to Arrian a 

 horse was sacrificed every month to Cyrus at his famous tomb 

 at Pasargadae 6 . For sacrifice they apparently preferred white 

 horses, which they held to be sacred, and which seem regularly 

 to have accompanied the army on the march. So great value 

 was set by the Persians on white horses, probably for sacrifice, 

 that the tribute paid by the Cilicians was set at "three hundred 



1 Nisa omnes equos flavos habet. 2 524. 



3 Xen. Cyr. iv. 3, 28. 4 Ibid. in. 2. 5 Ibid. vm. 24. 



6 Arrian, Anab. vi. 29 ; Strabo, 729. 



