How would Alexander the Great's famous horse, Bucephalus, have differed anatomically from most horses today?
Question #58345. Asked by gmackematix.
Last updated Sep 25 2016.
JoshCaleb12
Answer has 1 vote
JoshCaleb12 23 year member
419 replies
Answer has 1 vote.
Alexander went on to name his horse Bucephalus, which means Oxhead, as the horse had a rather sizeable head.
Jul 14 2005, 7:06 PM
gmackematix
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gmackematix 22 year member
3206 replies
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Good answer Josh, as that may have distinguished him from horses at the time, but there are other likely differences he would have had from today's horses. What about the feet?
Jul 14 2005, 11:15 PM
lanfranco
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lanfranco 20 year member
4170 replies
Answer has 2 votes.
Hmmm, I don't know, gmack. Horses did once have toes, but by Alexander's time (356-323 BCE), they had the standard hoof. Here's a late 6th-century BCE stamnos depicting a chariot race (scroll down for detail). Making allowances for stylization, I can't see anything terribly unusual about the feet. I must be missing something.
Response last updated by zorba_scank on Sep 25 2016.
Jul 15 2005, 11:49 AM
gmackematix
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gmackematix 22 year member
3206 replies
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In that case Frankie, I may be mistaken. The source I read claimed that horses had distinct toes on their feet as late as the time of Julius Caesar.
Jul 15 2005, 7:03 PM
peasypod
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peasypod 21 year member
3273 replies
Answer has 2 votes.
This site seems to have a fuzzy gap between 17 million years ago and the definition of modern day horse but apart from that it seems moderately reasonable.
http://www.bpeah.com/ThereBack.htm