Unicorns, pegasus, hippocampoi. Reflection of the horse and its hybrid forms in the archaeological sources of the Bronze and Iron Age
Abstract
Horse, majestic and noble animal. During prehistoric times, a unique relationship between man and horse was formed, and horseback was often written in history.
Already from the Paleolithic period we know the depiction of horses on cave paintings, carvings and figures. However, it took several millennia for these creatures to achieve their specific position in the life of prehistoric and proto-historical societies.
The horse figured not only in profane life, but entered intricate thought systems and became a mythical creature, often even a metamorphosis or incarnation of the deity itself. The display of the horse itself has also changed.
The paper deals with the changes of these changes throughout the Bronze Age, Hallstatt and La Tène period. It moves from schematic and realistic depictions to hybrid, mythical forms.