Horses in War

[X99Lynx at aol.com]

In a message dated 2/3/00 10:18:48 AM, alderson at netcom.com wrote:

<<I thought we had had this part of the discussion already.

By Homer's time, chariots had been out of use in Greek warfare for centuries;
it is clear that, other than traditional vocabulary, he has no idea how they
really worked, and describes their use as if they were cavalry horses, doing
things no chariot every did (leaping ditches, forsooth!).>>

Gadzooks!  But I must repeat what I reported at that time:

Homer DOES NOT have chariots jumping ditches.  He has Hector come up with
that bright idea - Hector representing the brawn not the brains of the Trojan
staff.  He does suggest- and this was the only time I find it in Homer - "our
horses shall lightly leap over the digged ditch."  He is talked out of it by
Polydamas, who points out the ditch "has sharp stakes set in it."  Polydamas
then patiently gives Hector an alternative suggestion:  "As for the horses,
let the squires hold them back by the trench, but let us on foot, arrayed in
our armour, follow all in one throng after Hector; and the Achaeans will not
withstand us,..."  Illiad 12.50 et seq

Apollo later sends a storm that tramps down the banks of the ditch protecting
the Achaean ships and creates a causeway that the Trojans can cross, but they
get banged up and have to beat a quick retreat and that's where Homer tells
us precisely what happens when chariots cross a ditch:
"nor was it in good order that they crossed the trench again.... tbe hosts of
Troy, whom the digged trench held back against their will.  And in the trench
many pairs of swift horses, drawers of chariots, brake the pole at the end,
and left the chariots of their lords...."  Iliad 16.369 (et seq)

As far as Homer's credibility in general, please recall that the
ever-mentioned consensus at one time was that there was no Troy, there were
no Greek-speaking Mycenaeans, the catalog of ships was pure fantasy, if there
were chariots there would also have been mounted riders, etc. etc, etc.

I remember being told a long time ago that if the Classicist has learned
anything important in the last 150 years, it was don't bet against Homer -
"it's like betting against the Yankees."  The oral tradition that 'Homer' [or
the Homers] put in writing keeps demonstrating that it had a powerful vein of
accuracy running through it.

With much forsooth,
Steve Long