High-tech in the Iron Age

“In our nuclear age of sophisticated electronics and high-tech weaponry, it is easy to lose the sense of the astounding power of the horse that people in the ancient world witnessed routinely. Unfortunately in modern times, false notions about the horse and riding have infiltrated historical analysis—for example, that the lack of stirrups and saddles prevented superior horsemanship in battle, or that horses required stables to survive and were prohibitively expensive to maintain, or that Israel was unsuited for raising and training horses. In fact, the archaeological and epigraphical evidence as well as basic equestrian knowledge prove the contrary. The horse was key to the survival of nations, and every country, including Israel and Judah, did whatever was necessary to support and train its war-horses and equestrian warriors.”—The Horsemen of Israel, page 142