Horse on Wheels - Children's Toy - Athens, Attica - 500 BC - Museum Reproduction - Ceramic Artifact

Item Specifics

Material: Ceramic
Condition: New, Handmade in Greece.
Height: 9,5 cm - 3,7 inches
Width: 12 cm - 4,7 inches
Length: 6 cm - 2,4 inches
Weight: 120 g

The importance of horses in Greek life is illustrated by the frequency of their depiction in art throughout all periods of Greek history. Horses are shown in ancient Greek vase-painting, as well as in large- and small-scale sculpture. They can be shown with or without riders and in a variety of situations, from pulling chariots to being tended in a stable. Horses often look small relative to humans in Greek art: while this can be the result of the artist attempting to fit horses and humans into the same composition, ancient Greek horses were, in fact, somewhat smaller than their modern counterparts. The Greeks believed that horses were created by Poseidon, god of the sea, and occasionally horses were sacrificed to the god by drowning.