Medieval warhorse: the archaeology of a medieval revolution?

The next event in the IoA/British Museum Medieval Archaeology Seminar Series will be given by Oliver Creighton (University of Exeter) entitled ‘Medieval warhorse: the archaeology of a medieval revolution?’

Abstract

The image of the armoured knight mounted on his warhorse and charging into battle or to the tournament field is one of the most evocative of the Middle Ages. The horse was central to the image of the medieval warrior-aristocrat and changed the face of warfare. This lecture explores what archaeology can tell us about about medieval warhorses, including their size, appearance and equipment. It presents some headline results from a research project on warhorses, and horses generally, in England between the Saxon and Tudor periods. It will consider the physical remains of horses (bones and teeth, including small samples taken for scientific analyses), equestrian material culture (apparel such as harness pendants, and horse armour), horse breeding landscapes (studs and stables), as well as iconographic and documentary evidence, to present a new and more rounded understanding of the warhorse and unpick its complex, fascinating and ever-evolving interrelationship with medieval society through the centuries.

The Medieval Seminar Series is sponsored by the World Archaeology Section at the UCL Institute of Archaeology and the British Museum. 

Seminar Series Convenors:

• Sue Brunning (British Museum)
• Murray Andrews (Institute of Archaeology)
• Andrew Reynolds (Institute of Archaeology)