THE HORSE AMONG INDO-IRANIANS
Shahin ARYĀMANESH
(Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies, Tehran, Iran)
Abstract: The horse had a prominent position among Indo-Iranian tribes. This prominent position is reflected in Iranian and Indian sacred texts such as the Avesta and the Vedas. These reflections are seen both in old texts like Rigveda and Yašt as well as Pahlavi texts as Bundahišn and Mēnōg-ī xrad. Also, Scythians had a special funeral ceremony for dead kings as mentioned by Herodotus where they used to bury kings with horses as well as golden, silver and bronze goods among others. The horse’s position as a magnificent, venerable, and respectable beast, as described in Iranian and Indian sacred texts, was transformed in the long run.
ARYĀMANESH, Shahin. (2025). The Horse among Indo-Iranians, Iranica Antiqua Volume 60, 2025, 27-44.