Featured So... Why Quadrigas?

I am currently engrossed in a book (The Genius of China, by Robert Temple) detailing all of the inventions that China had created, which were eventually adopted by Europeans without giving due credit to the Chinese. (It's a big book, so I look forward to everything else it has to offer.) One of these inventions was an effective horse harness. While I was reading the chapter, I suddenly realized why so many horses are seen pulling chariots on ancient European coins. Let me explain below:

In Europe, the only horse harness was a throat-and-girth harness. Basically, it wrapped around the horse's throat and belly to give a secure attachment. The disadvantage to this arrangement was that the horse gets severely choked and thus becomes quite inefficient. The author claims this is the reason why the Roman Empire had to import all of their grain from egypt; without an effective method to transporting Italian grain by land, it proved to be better to just import the grain by sea.



A Roman Republic denarius clearly showing this kind of harness.



In contrast, in 4th-century China, the trace harness was invented which transferred the load to the horse's sternum and collarbone instead of the neck. The Avars invaded Hungary in 568 AD, and they brought this harness, along with the stirrup, to Europe from China. It became commonplace in Europe by the 8th Century AD.



A Han Dynasty depiction of the trace harness:



Then by the 1st Century BC, the Chinese invent the collar harness, which is still in use today. This type of harness is advantageous as it creates an artificial "hump" above the horse's shoulders (like that of an ox) where a yoke can be attached. The load also gets tranferred to the horse's skeletal system, but it is slightly more effective than the trace harness.



So, just how much of an effect does the type of harness have? Modern experiments showed that a pair of horses could carry a half-ton load using the throat-and-girth harness. However, the other two harnesses allowed a single horse to carry a 1.5-ton load; a six-fold increase! No wonder why so many horses were needed to pull the chariots. Gotta love Ancient Chinese ingenuity.

Post your horses, chariots, carts, etc. This might turn out to be an interesting thread.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

This Philip II stater shows the harness more clearly:

 

Wow nice write up very interesting I had no idea!


Thanks,
Jacob

 

It's not all quadrigas. I've seen bigas and trigas on ancient Roman coins too. My M. Cipius denarius has a biga.

 

I know... Quadrigas were the first thing to come to mind.

 

The reason Rome transported so much grain from Egypt was because Egypt had rich lands along the Nile and a surplus of grain, that is why it is referred to as the breadbasket of the Empire.

 

TypeCoin,
My compliments on an outstanding analysis that provides significant insight on RR coin iconography

Spoken like a true Engineer.

Love it!

 

QUADRIGA:

RR Anon Quadrigatus AR Drachm 216-214 BCE Janus ROMA Jupiter Victory Quadriga LEFT Cr 29-4 Sear 35 Scarce

TRIGA:

RR Naevius Balbus 79 BCE AR Den Venus SC TRIGA Sulla Sear 309 Cr 382-1

BIGA:

RR AR Denarius 149 BCE Pinarius Natta Roma X - Victory Biga whip NATTA ROMA Cr 208-1 Syd 390

Carpentum-

RI Julia Flavia Titi Diva 90-91 CE d-Titus concubine-uncleDomitian AE Sestert 33mm 20.4g - Carpentum mules SPQR - SC rare


HORSES:
Galloping-

Carthage Zeugitania 400-350 BCE AE 15mm 3.39g Head of Tanit left Horse galloping r SNG Cop 97

Leaping-

Sicily Akragas Punic occup 213-210 BC AR Half Shekel 19 mm 2.9g Male head r Triptolemos wreath grain -Horse leaping r Punic Ḥ SNG COP 378

Prancing-

RR Anon 234-231 BCE AR Didrachm Apollo-Horse prancing Crawford 26-1 Sear 28

Leg Raised-

Carthage Third Punic War Serrate Double Shekel 149-146 BCE 12.8g 26mm Wreathd Tanit-Horse pellet raised leg SNG COP 404

Grazing-

RI Valerian I 253-260 CE AE 20mm Alexandria Troas mint Horse Grazing

Standing-

Carthage Zeugitana 310-270 BCE EL Dekadrachm-Stater 18.5mm 7.27g Tanit Horse 3 pellets in ex MAA 12 SNG COP 136

 

Interesting stuff. You will also not see a stirrup on a horse on a Roman coin. Well, somewhere in my memory I remember Doug Smith may have shown one on his page on a fallen horseman AE.

 

The stirrup was another Chinese invention not introduced to Europe until the 6th Century AD.

 

Great book... I chuckle when I read of our Western Accomplishments, and completely ignore Eastern Accomplishments... myopic.

Great book... was recommended by a good friend of mine that I did a lot of business with me in China.

 

Interesting indeed @TypeCoin971793 ! Reminds me of why we quickly got rid of our dog collar and switch the a harness, the poor guy kept choking himself trying to get his slow human dad to walk faster!

Here's a triga, can't really see the harness well.

 

Terrific thread!!!

After scoring single examples with a biga thru quadriga's, I basically pulled away and focused on variations of devices....so here's a 'Triumphal Chariot:


Roman Republic. L. Rubrius Dossenus, moneyer. AR Denarius minted at Rome, 87 BC. Laureate head right of Jupiter; to left, scepter. Reverse: Empty triumphal chariot right, surmounted by small figure of Victory. Sear 258; Rubria 1; Cr. 348/1; Syd. 705.

 

Thank you for giving me a reason to love my Hieron I tet's headless-horse obverse: a clear harness!


My two clearest harnesses on RRs are on a denarius of T. Manlius Mancinus, Ap. Claudius Pulcher, & Q. Urbinius (110 BC), and a Sulla denarius (82 BC):




I think the stirrup thing is debatable, at least timing-wise. The earliest stirrups were simple leather loops, and the later, more effective type incorporates a hard bar under the instep. I (vaguely) recall that it's pretty uncertain when these were transmitted west. Also, they probably originated on the steppes rather than in China proper. Innovations in horse-drawn wheeled vehicles may have originated on the steppes also.

 

Germanicus/ great coins all

 

Randy, were you of the opinion that your examples show a clear stirrup, or that they do NOT?

 

Kudos to CoinType for the interesting post on a subject I knew nothing about and never considered. Now I will pay attention to harnesses. Here are a few from my collection that show the harness nicely.

 

All of them are wonderful, the first (Vibius), is ELECTRIC with motion on the reverse!

 

Gorgeous coins!