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thebeandream t1_jb75601 wrote

Reply to comment by PetsArentChildren in Humans Started Riding Horses 5,000 Years Ago, New Evidence Suggests by geoxol

Weren’t ancient humans also smaller though? Or was it not proportionate enough to make a difference?

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PetsArentChildren t1_jb7ffnw wrote

The Assyrians and Chinese did develop horseback riding, but each had to invent/adopt new technology in order to do so: the former, the martingale collar, the latter, stirrups. Apparently riding a horse bareback into battle means you’re likely to fall off and get stabbed!

https://www.asor.org/blog/2014/11/17/a-comparative-study-of-the-origins-of-cavalry-in-the-ancient-near-east-and-china/

https://www.shorthistory.org/ancient-civilizations/ancient-egypt/the-horse-in-ancient-egypt/

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MillionEyesOfSumuru t1_jb7k94a wrote

Stirrups were also necessary for the use of lances on horseback, unless you wanted to be knocked off the back of your horse by the impact. Their later spread across Europe changed the shape of warfare, and really of the societies themselves.

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Peter_deT t1_jb92b78 wrote

Stirrups originated on the steppe quite late - 4th-5th century CE and spread both east and west. Before that, cavalry was still effective - as the Persians, Hannibal, Alexander and others showed. You could, with training, use spears and swords without falling off. The Sassanid Persians developed heavy cavalry, with high-cantled saddles, extensive armour and lances, before stirrups.

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PetsArentChildren t1_jb93s22 wrote

You’re right. I misunderstood my first source.

> After the creation of a special cavalry unit, the peoples of the ancient Near East and China made some innovations to the equine equipment in order to control their horses during fighting. The “martingale” collar was probably an innovation of the Near East, and stirrups were invented in ancient China.

On my first read, that sounded to me like these happened concurrently. Upon closer reading, the paper actually indicates China had cavalry 600 or more years before the stirrup. Thank you!

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SeaJay1187 t1_jb7ucta wrote

Humans were a lot smaller just 150 years ago. I went to a museum at mass general hospital called the ether dome. It is an actual OR from the 1800s (the first one that used anesthesia, ether)…. Many of the doors around were from around then. Very small…. Also the chairs were so small. Go to Fenway park and you’ll see the seats weren’t meant for modern people either (not a fat joke)

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