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please also note that the subject has been discussed on Zooarch before, please do check the archives On 12 November 2013 07:00, KIM DAMMERS <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Roman horseshoes: > > There was a running discussion over the existence of Roman horseshoes in > the 1930s, revolving around the finds of horseshoes at Roman sites and > whether or not they were intrusive. This article (available for those of > You fortunate enough to have JSTOR or a good library with back issues of > CJ) refers to previous articles in the discussion: > > A. D. Fraser "Recent Light on the Roman Horseshoe," > The Classical Journal > Vol. 29, No. 9 (Jun., 1934), pp. 689-691 > > http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/3289825?uid=3738392&uid=2&uid=4&sid=21102906189647. > > There is also literature on "horseshoe"earrings in Etruscan or Roman Italy > around maybe the 4th century B.C., but this might be a misnomer. > > More recently, > Excavation of Roman Field Boundaries at CotswoldCommunity Phase 4, Ashton > Keynes, Wiltshire by Andrew Weale and Steve Preston (2009) > [http://www.tvas.co.uk/reports/pdf/ccw05-61phase4.pdf , p. 13 ] talk of > securely dated Roman horseshoes in Britain, giving references. > > > > On Tuesday, November 12, 2013 10:53 AM, "[log in to unmask]" > <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Salima -- The received or traditional opinion is that the horseshoe > doesn't come along until Attila the Hun, i.e. early Medieval. However, > there is a shoe from good Roman context from a site near Newcastle, and I > also know of some others with good Roman context (which are unpublished as > yet). I think, given that the Romans were positively geniuses in the > working of iron, and also that I've seen some Roman nails that have the > peculiar one-sided form required for nailing the horseshoe on without > quicking the horse, that the Romans most certainly did use nailed > horseshoes as well as hipposandals. > > This would also be true of mules; mules are in fact more likely to have > been shod than horses, and one of the shoes of which I am speaking above > was clearly for a mule and not a horse (the shape of the hoof differs). > Donkeys, however, I think are the least likely of the three equine > domesticates to have been shod -- anywhere, or at any time. If you have > small, U-shaped (rather than C-shaped) shoes they are probably for small > mules rather than donkeys. -- Dr. Deb > > > > Does anyone know when the horseshoe was invented? Or was it invented for > > donkeys? Please excuse my ignorance. > > > > Salima Ikram > > Egyptology Unit Head > > Professor of Egyptology > > American University in Cairo > > P. O. Box 74, Road 90, Tagammu 5 > > New Cairo 11825, EGYPT > > [log in to unmask] > > Fax: +20-2-2797-4903 > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- Umberto Albarella Department of Archaeology University of Sheffield Northgate House West Street Sheffield S1 4ET United Kingdom Telephone: (+) 44 (0) 114 22 22 943 Fax: (+) 44 (0) 114 22 25 109 http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/archaeology/people/albarella For MSc in Osteoarchaeology see: http://www.shef.ac.uk/archaeology/postgraduate/masters/courses-available/osteoarchaeology For Zooarchaeology short course see: http://www.shef.ac.uk/archaeology/research/zooarchaeology-lab/short-course For Archaeologists for Global Justice (AGJ) see: http://agj.group.shef.ac.uk/ "only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught we will realise we cannot eat money"