Horses of Early Arabia


The largest, and to date the most significant, of more than 300 artifacts found so far at al-Magar is a sculpture fragment whose head, muzzle, nostrils, arched neck, shoulder, withers and overall proportions resemble those of a horse, though it may represent an ass, an onager or a hybrid. Eighty-six centimeters (34″) long, 18 centimeters (7″) thick and weighing more than 135 kilograms (300 lbs), it is provisionally dated to about 7000 bce.

The latest issue of Saudi ARAMCO World (May/June 2012) has a fascinating article about archaeological finds at the site of Magar in southwestern Saudi Arabia. It features an early sculpture of a horse, among other artifacts.