Description
Book SynopsisThe historical horse is at once material and abstract, as is the notion of the border. Borders and frontiers are not only markers delineating geographical spaces but also mental constructs: there are borders between order and disorder, between what is permitted and what is prohibited. Boundaries and liminal spaces also exist in the material, economic, political, moral, legal and religious spheres. In this volume, the contributing authors explore the theme of the liminality of the horse in all of these historical arenas, asking how one reconciles the very different roles played by the horse in human history.
Trade ReviewReviewed by the Times Literary Supplement
"The ten essays in The Liminal Horse recover some of the forgotten aspects of equine material culture. This varied and wide-ranging collection encompasses Bronze Age horse domestication in southern Scandinavia, horsemanship in the Roman empire, late Iron Age Irish bit design and the first English translation of a section of a thirteenth-century training manual."
Table of Contents
- Foreword, by Elizabeth O'Brien
- Introduction: The Horse as a Liminal Being, Rena Maguire and Anastasija Ropa
- CHAPTER 1. Horse Training in the Thirteenth Century: Insights from Jordanus Rufus, Jennifer Jobst
- CHAPTER 2. Crossing Borders in Equestrian Training: Applying Jordanus Rufus's Advice on Training Young Horses Today, Anastasija Ropa
- CHAPTER 3. Housing Horses on the Edge in Later Medieval England, by Duncan L. Berryman
- CHAPTER 4. Roman Horses, Enemy Horses and Riders: The Testimony of Historia Romana by Nikephoros Gregoras, by Alexia-Foteini Stamouli
- CHAPTER 5. Straight from the Horse's Mouth: A Study of Horse Type Terms in English, French and Spanish, by Cristina Oliveros Calvo
- CHAPTER 6. Harnessing Horse Power: Then and Now, by Terry Davis
- CHAPTER 7. Bridles and Bones: Early Cavalry in Southern Scandinavia, by Xenia Pauli Jensen and Jacob Kveiborg
- CHAPTER 8. Livin' on the Edge: Roman Influences on the Equestrian Equipment of Late Iron Age Ireland, by Rena Maguire
- CHAPTER 9. Dimisso equo: Horse-Riding Elites on the Frontiers of Rome, by M. C. Bishop
- CHAPTER 10. Mist on the Border: Emperor Severus and the Netherby Arabians that Never Were, by Miriam A. Bibby
- Notes on Contributors
