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IMC 2020: Sessions

Session 230: Horses in the Eastern Mediterranean and Levant

Monday 6 July 2020, 14.15-15.45

Organisers:Timothy Dawson, Independent Scholar, Leeds
Anastasija Ropa, Department of Management & Communication Science, Latvian Academy of Sport Education, Riga
Moderator/Chair:Timothy Dawson, Independent Scholar, Leeds
Paper 230-aBanāt al-rīḥ: Mythical Horse Hybrids in Early Islamic Literature
(Language: English)
Hylke Hettema, School of Middle Eastern Studies, Universiteit Leiden
Index terms: Islamic and Arabic Studies, Language and Literature - Other
Paper 230-bThe Horses of the Prophet Muḥammad
(Language: English)
Farid Bouchiba, Institut de recherches et d'études sur les mondes arabes et musulmans (Iremam - UMR 7310) Université Aix-Marseille
Index terms: Islamic and Arabic Studies, Language and Literature - Other
Paper 230-cRoman and Enemy Horses and Riders: The Testimony of Historia Romana by Gregoras
(Language: English)
Alexia-Foteini Stamouli, Independent Scholar, Patras
Index terms: Byzantine Studies, Language and Literature - Greek
Paper 230-dFrom Head to Tail: Writing on the Ideal Horse in Middle Byzantine Times
(Language: English)
Thomas Salmon, Le laboratoire Orient et Méditerranée (UMR 8167) Sorbonne Université Paris
Index terms: Byzantine Studies, Language and Literature - Other, Social History
Abstract

The session considers the role and representation of equines in the regions of the Eastern Mediterranean and Levant, both in Islamic and Byzantine cultures. The speakers address the issue from various perspectives, using Arabic and Byzantine religious texts, historical writings, military treatises, and poetry. The papers consider the ways in which author portrayed what the considered to be the ideal equine and its opposite, together with the ways in which equines could become hybrids, either by blending them physically with other creatures or by metaphorically blending the horse and the rider, thus transferring the characteristics of the rider onto the horse and vice versa. This way, the papers contribute to the discussion of boundaries between species, the boundaries between the ideal and the real, as well as state boundaries.