492 THE DEVELOPMENT OF EQUITATION [CH. 



recalling the floor of the Egyptian chariots with their plaited 

 leather meshwork (p. 225) in which we may recognise the first 

 step towards leathern springs. 



The Harness. The elaborate account of the harnessing 

 of Priam's mules above cited when taken in conjunction with 

 other passages in Homer, with the harness found in the tomb 

 of Thothmes IV, and representations of Egyptian chariots 

 (Fig. 68), with the description of the Assyrian chariot-harness 

 (pp. 195-196), with the Hittite (Fig. 67), with the Persian (Fig. 

 61), and with numerous representations of Greek chariots in 

 classical times, enables us to form a clear idea of the nature of 

 the harness used in early times and the method of attaching 

 the horses to the car. 



Whilst the harness seen on the monument of Seti I and 

 found in the tomb of Thothmes IV belongs to a date anterior 

 to Homer, that seen on the Assyrian monuments falls several 

 centuries after that period. It is therefore but natural to find 

 that whilst the Egyptian and Homeric horses are attached only 

 by breast-straps, the Assyrian have also elaborate body bands 

 which may be taken as the forerunners of the saddle or straddle 

 of modern harness. 



The Rein-rings. Attached to the yoke of the Florentine 

 chariot (Fig. 69) are seen two Y-shaped objects, which must 

 have hung down from the yoke or some other part of the 

 harness or chariot. They are of wood, and the arms of each 

 are pierced with holes near the extremity. The height of the 

 whole is seven inches, the width from hole to hole not being 

 more than four inches, and the tail ends in a large round bone 

 stud, one and a half inches in diameter, which shows that the 

 object was not meant to be inserted into a hole in any part of 

 the yoke or chariot. They cannot have been collars (as com- 

 monly supposed) to rest on any part of the horses' necks, 

 for they are obviously too small for that purpose, and are 

 quite different from the actual collars found in the tomb of 

 Thothmes IV figured in Mr Davis's publication (p. 227). 



Associated with the pairs of bronze bits not unfrequently 

 found in Ireland are usually pairs of spur-shaped bronze objects 

 (Figs. 138, 139). 



