During the Iron Age II (ninth–sixth centuries B.C.E.), the time of the Kingdom of Israel, horse-and-rider figurines became common in the southern Levant. This type of ceramic figurine consisted of a horse with a male rider on its back—representing a mounted soldier. Most were handmade and solid. Within the type, there was variety: Some horses were harnessed, but others not; the riders’ armor and clothing also differed. Horse-and-rider figurines first appeared in the Bronze Age, but they increased in popularity during the Iron Age, especially in the eighth century B.C.E., which corresponds to the rise and importance of cavalry […]
