u 



A HISTORY OF CAVALRY. 



[period I. 



1 



Uli 



years given to the bas-reliefs and other sculptured 

 remains which have been discovered, have thrown great 

 light upon the early history of the Assyrians, as well as 

 upon their manners and customs. These discoveries 

 enable us to follow with much accuracy the origin and 

 development of the cavalry service, and the consideia- 

 tion of them will be the more interesting as they are 

 the only records we have of the first conception and 

 subsequent growth of that arm. 



Cavalry do not appear to have been used in Assyria 

 before or during the reign of Tiglath Pileser I. who 

 ascended the throne in 1120 B.C., or shortly after the 

 Trojan War. This is shown by the fact that in a long 

 inscription by him cavalry are not referred to, while 

 chariots are repeatedly mentioned, Assur-izir-pal reigned 

 in the year 885 b.c. In the sculptures of his time 

 chariots appear in great numbers while there are very 

 few instances of cavalry, showing thai, they were a new 

 force not much understood and but little used.^ Later 

 on, in the years 722 to 705 B.C., in the representations of 

 the reigns o:' Sargon and Senuacheiib, the cavaky have 

 largely increased, and are continually shown in the scenes 

 of battles, while the king alone, or but very few of his 

 nobles, appear to make use of the chariot. 



At first the cavalry horses are very peculiarly equipped ; 

 they wear a head-stall, a collar, and a string of beads ; 

 the trappings being almost the same as those in use by 

 the chariot horses of the time. They use the same kind 

 of bic, being a heavy species of snafile, with the same 

 straps and ornaments. The collar, which is highly 

 decorated, is curiously arranged around the neck about 

 half-way up.^ It is hung round with pomegranates and 

 tassels. The cavalry soldiers ride without any saddle. 



It is strange that these cavalry should have had their 

 horses equipped in exactly the same way as those used 

 in the chariots, even so far as to have the collar, which 

 could have been of no use to a horseman. It may have 

 happened in the outset that on occasions wheie the 

 warriors desired to move upon ground where their 



* Rawlinson, Ancient Monarchies, i. 423. ^ Ibid, i, 424. 



