The horse has played a vital part in the development of all major civilizations and in this work Ann Hyland recounts its role in ancient civilizations for which we have some kind of written record. The book covers the Hittites, Persia, the Seleukid Kingdom in Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Thrace, Rome, Byzantium, Arabia, Scythia, the Steppe and Hun tribes, and China and the early Celts, thus providing a global perspective on the period c.1350 BC to c.640 AD. The vital role of the horse in economic development and in the development of warfare is presented in this text along with a variety of images from documentary, archaeological and literary sources.