2700BC Philistine cavalry?

major bill

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
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Aug 25, 2012
Why were donkeys used so little during the Civil War? This small beast of burden has been used for over 4000 years yet saw little use in the Civil War.

A new discovery in the biblical town of Gath, possible hometown of Goliath, shows a donkey that was controlled by a bit. Horses had not been brought to that area 4000 years ago and donkeys were used to pull things and were ridden by elite Philistines. Based on art it was believed the donkeys were controlled by nose rings. The use of a bit was not expected.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-05/bu-aue051418.php
 
The Philistines were probably part of the Sea Peoples who may have caused the Bronze Age Collapse around 1200 BC or so and 2700 BC is long before their time. The story of the Sea Peoples is weird and frightening; a bolt from the blue, like an invasion from Mars. In a short period invaders from the Sea destroyed mighty cities, crushed empires and stamped out civilizations in western Asia and Greece; only Egypt resisted them. Of course little is certain when dealing with this period.

83438171-0A11-4631-BF58-F651626874DF.jpeg




As horses were bred larger they replaced donkeys as preferred work animals, also as horses became bigger true mounted cavalry replaced the chariot, probably in the early Iron Age. (The first chariots were pulled by donkeys.) I don’t know when mules were first bred but they were also generally considered superior to donkeys.

This website has a filter that won’t allow one to refer to a donkey as an ***. Odd.
 
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Well the South had a ton of mules so there must have been a considerable number of donkeys in the South. I have not seen where they were much used as a beast of burden.
 
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