Сущность появления конницы в древнем мире и Фракии
Character of the Emergence of the Cavalry in the Ancient World and in Thrace

Summary/Abstract: The paper presents a detailed analysis of various written evidence and archaeological data testifying to the appearance of cavalry and its function both in warfare and as a social phenomenon in view of its role of attribute of the aristocracy. The study is structured in several principal sub-themes connected with the emergence of the cavalry on the historical scene, the earliest written evidence on a cavalry in Western Asia (Urartu and Assyria in particular), the earliest images of horsemen from Thrace are examined, as well as the earliest written evidence related to the functioning of a cavalry in ancient Thrace. In conclusion, the author stresses that the cavalry appeared in Western Asia at the beginning of the first millennium BC, and was consolidated and perfected during the 9th–7th centuries BC. Its appearance and perfectioning in Thrace are dated to the 8th-6th centuries BC, which is evidenced by the early types of bridles found, and later also by images and written sources suggesting the consolidation of the cavalry during the 6th–5th centuries BC. Its role as a social phenomenon is emphasised, because it was a privilege of the aristocracy. And its emergence and development are associated precisely with its social role.

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