What is the first horse name recorded in history?
score:42
The Kassites (Babylonia, c. 1531 BC and until c. 1155 BC) named horses and were well-established in horse-breeding. Some of these names have been dated to the reigns of Burna-Buriash II (c.1359–1333 BC) and Kurigalzu II (c.1332–1308 BC). These names are among the few words we have of the Kassite language, and are given in An Early History of Horsemanship
Draught animals are indicated by their coats, sires by names. Mares are not mentioned. Some lines may be mentioned as examples: "Z.2 One pair, one bay and one black, sons of Samlu, son of Armi. Z.3 One (pair), one chestnut son of Pikandi, and one black son of Halsi. Z.3 One (pair) chestnuts, sons of Nuhhuru".
On the meaning of horse names among the Kassites and the Egyptians,
The names of the sires seem to be descriptive and to be derived from some peculiarity of their coats. So for instance "Hubbash" is the felt-haired, "Nuhhuru" is the damp, "Abuttanu is the curly-haired.
Source: Augusto Azzaroli, 'An Early History of Horsemanship' (1985)
Horse breeding was big business even at this early time in history:
The Alalakh tablets from Alalakh in Syria provide the earliest extant record of organized, state-run horse breeding in the ancient world, dating to the mid second millennium BCE. Documents from the Mitanni, Kassites and Egyptians can be interpreted as a basic type of studbook or breeding records listing chariot horses by the colour of the coat and the name of their sire. The Nuzi tablets include records of highly organized, state-run breeding farms and training facilities for the production of chariot horses.
Source: Carolyn Willekes, 'The Horse in the Ancient World' (2016)
As a side note, there is also a reference in Looking for the Aryans to the Kassites "who appear to have a horse-based tribal name".
Although not the oldest named horse, Kanthaka is worth mentioning as there is some information on him (though how reliable is debatable). Kanthaka, the favourite horse of Prince Siddhartha, later and better known as Gautama Buddha. Prince Siddhartha is believed to have been born no later than 480 BC (died 400 BC), but maybe as early as 563 BC (died 483 BC).
According to the article Kanthaka, Horse of Buddha,
Kanthaka was 18 cubits in length and accompanied prince Siddhartha in all the major events. Donning a pristine white color it truly complemented the royal stature of the prince. It was the most able horse in the court of King Suddhodana.
"Panel showing Prince Siddharta parting from Kaṇṭhaka his horse and Chandaka his groom." Attrib: © Marie-Lan Nguyen / Wikimedia Commons
As to Kanthaka's death,
Leaving behind his wife, his baby son, and a life of luxury, Siddartha escaped the palace riding on Kanthaka. When he got off his horse for the last time to continue his life’s journey on foot, Kanthaka then died of a broken heart.
(all emphasis is mine)
Upvote:31
It may not be the earliest, but the New Kingdom (19th Dynasty) Pharaoh Seti I of Ancient Egypt (died c. 1279 BCE) certainly had the names of several of his horses inscribed on monuments to his victories.
For example, in his paper The Victories of Seti I Recorded in the Great Temple at Karnak, E.L Lushington observes:
... sometimes the horses' names are engraved above or below them, as likewise the names of towns, fortresses, or waters by which the royal army pursues its march. ... and again, above the horses "The great foremost charger of His Majesty, Victory in Thebes, Nextu-m-Uas", a name also borne by one of the two horses of Ramses II, whom. in Pentaur's recital he praises as having alone proved faithful allies to him when deserted by his troops and captains.
The reference to the horse of Ramses II is, of course, in the Egyptian record of the Battle of Kadesh which is usually dated to 1274 BCE.
Some examples of the names of Ancient Egyptian horses have been collected on this website
More post
- 📝 Is there any documentation of the use of scientific knowledge or technology in pagan temples?
- 📝 Why did Japan take so long to attack Wuhan?
- 📝 Battle which has been decided by an epidemic plague
- 📝 Cannot find source of quote
- 📝 Did Vladimir Lenin have a cat?
- 📝 When was the idea of a unified India conceived?
- 📝 Was it common to brush off Hitler's radical remarks as just figures of speech to whip up the supporters among US commentators in the 1930's?
- 📝 Why couldn't the US persuade Russia, Japan's neighbor to the west, to let it attack Japan from its territory in the later years of WWII?
- 📝 When were capital punishments suspended during the Rashidun caliphate?
- 📝 Feudalism vs Serfdom
- 📝 Timing of Trotsky's Assassination
- 📝 Why did Francisco Franco never reestablish the Spanish monarchy?
- 📝 When and how did classical mythology subjects start to appear in art in medieval/Renaissance Europe?
- 📝 What were the rules of the migration to the Louisiana Territory in USA?
- 📝 Do Egyptian mummies contain DNA? If so, was it viable enough to analyzed it?
- 📝 When did leaf springs appear in vehicles?
- 📝 Could the "Taffy" Groups have been reinforced by air during the battle of Leyte Gulf?
- 📝 What was the personal philosophy of Alexander the Great in his youth?
- 📝 Why was only the Silver medal awarded for music at the 1932s Olympics?
- 📝 Why was Queretaro chosen as a fail-safe capital of Mexico?
- 📝 Why was the Declaration of Independence handwritten, rather than printed with a printing press?
- 📝 Seeking identification of a military uniform in a watercolor painting
- 📝 What was the technology in pre-war traffic recorders?
- 📝 Did most pants in the late 1800s have plackets at the ankle?
- 📝 What do the insignias on the collar shown in this photograph stand for?
- 📝 Can someone identify this banknote?
- 📝 Did the Axis engage in trade with other countries during the war?
- 📝 Representative early Anglican hymns?
- 📝 Was Nobunaga the founder of 3 lines of riflemen formation?
- 📝 How democratic was Imperial Germany?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 What is the first horse name recorded in history?
- 📝 What is the first recorded dog name?
- 📝 What was the first battle in history fought by vast-majority-% "distance-shooting" non-mechanized force?
- 📝 What is the earliest recorded female name in history?
- 📝 What is the first recorded instance of jet lag?
- 📝 What is the first recorded contact with Taiwan by Europeans?
- 📝 What was the first recorded instance of sex or violence being inappropriate for children to see?
- 📝 What was the first recorded use of Aerial Weapons in warfare?
- 📝 What was the first recorded instance of burning a city or village in war?
- 📝 What was the first assassination/murder recorded on film?
- 📝 What are the oldest primary sources of recorded history in China?
- 📝 What is the source for the Arabic name of the penguin and when it is first used?
- 📝 What was the first recorded non-violent toppling of a dictator?
- 📝 When & what are the first recorded peacetime uses of soldiers?
- 📝 What was the first recorded reference to the fact that the sun rises and sets at different times across the Earth?
- 📝 What is the name for the very first Polish state likely established around 966 by Mieszko I through baptism of Poland?
- 📝 What led to the first fight in the American Civil War?
- 📝 What was the point of horse armour?
- 📝 What was the first solar eclipse that was demonstrably predicted in advance?
- 📝 What / When was the first use of concentration camps in history?
- 📝 What tactical situations made the use of traditional horse cavalry effective in World War II?
- 📝 What was the 1970s name for skinny jeans?
- 📝 Japan is known for being isolationist, so what cultivated its history of interventionism in the 20th century?
- 📝 What was the significance of changing the name of "Persia" to "Iran"?
- 📝 What is the history of the popped collar?
- 📝 What was the first known war in history?
- 📝 What is the name of the theory that says an early discovery can stop technological development?
- 📝 What was the first successful mass tank battle of WW1?
- 📝 What is the history of the university asylum law?
- 📝 What were the first local currency systems in history?
