Horses

[Paul K. Manansala]

 Georg von Simson <g.v.simson at EAST.UIO.NO>
. If we assume that the seals to a certain
> degree reflect religious concepts, the absence of the horse is highly
> significant, especially if we compare it with the high position of the
> horse in other Indo-European cultures.

Could you explain this high position of the horse in other
Indo-European cultures.  Preferably not Scythian ones as there has
always been some argument over whether the Scythians were truly IE.
What part did the horse play in Greek or Persian culture?

>Therefore - even if some horse-bones
> should be found in the Indus culture - the horse does not seem to have
> played any prominent role in the minds of its people. This makes a very
> strong contrast to Vedic culture as reflected in the Rgveda.

But all we know about the Vedic culture comes from translations of
the Rgveda.  We don't have similar translations of the Indus texts.
There are very fewt examples of horse iconography in the period of a few
centuries after the fall of the IVC. Horses turn up in the early
Sunga works, but certainly nothing on the scale of Scythian culture.
But most importantly there is nothing even slightly suggestive of  a
nomadic horse culture at any archaeological sites.  No signs of
Kurgan or related cultures.

The only suggestions we have is that horses were introduced into
India gradually. And that they played a minimal role in the material
culture.

Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala