Description
This selective study explores the relationship between people and ponies in Iron Age Britain. It follows the lifecycle of the pony and takes a biographical approach through their lives, deaths and burial. From iconographical studies of equine-related imagery, the role of the pony in an Iron Age ontological schema is considered, particularly its role as a psychopomp and its role in escorting the souls or spirits of the dead into the afterlife. This research explores this important inter-special relationship through material culture, faunal remains and iconography. It also considers aspects of equine ethology and ethnography. Due to the different types of archaeological evidence collected, a flexible methodological approach was required.Data was mined from site reports, online collections and through selective fieldwork and recorded in an Excel spreadsheet. Faunal remains collections were studied from key sites and bone type, pathological markers, cut marks and deposition contexts were recorded. The subject matter includes faunal remains from both complete pony burials and disarticulated and unarticulated remains Equine-related material culture from selected sites, including bridle bits, harnessing and chariots, was recorded from online museum collections, site monographs and grey literature as COVID restrictions in place during this research did not allow for the physical examination of these objects. Key objects containing equine-related imagery, including the Marlborough, Aylesford and Lenham buckets, were recorded and studied in depth.
Date made available | 9 Oct 2024 |
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Publisher | University of Manchester Figshare |
Keywords
- Iron Age Britain
- Ponies
- Human and Equine Relationships
- Equine Remains
- People and Ponies
- Equine Iconography
- Equine and Avian Imgery
- Equine Chimeras
- Ponies as Psychopomps
- Pony Burials
- Iron Age Settlements
- Iron Age Hillforts
- Iron age Cemetery
- Iron Age Imagery
- Celtic Art
- Marlborough Bucket