Roman horse shoes

[Eleatic Guest]

Seriously, if anybody wants to read my two contributions, I've linked to them on my website...

Interesting angle you take on the lack of proof for horseshoes. But were horseshoes later common in horse burials? If they were removed from the dead horses then too, the absence of evidence in Roman burial site cannot obviously be considered evidence of absence.

[Longovicium]

The Auld Kirk Museum, Kirkintilloch G66 1AB has a Roman display which features a Roman horseshoe. It certainly looks like a typical horseshoe (although the holes for the nails are asymmetrical) but I wonder on its provenance?

[mcbishop]

the absence of evidence in Roman burial site cannot obviously be considered evidence of absence.

Oh, I don't know; sometimes I find it pretty convincing (especially if it supports my point of view) ;-)

However, absence of horseshoes in securely dated Roman contexts is even better!

Mike Bishop

[Eleatic Guest]

The Auld Kirk Museum, Kirkintilloch G66 1AB has a Roman display which features a Roman horseshoe. It certainly looks like a typical horseshoe (although the holes for the nails are asymmetrical) but I wonder on its provenance?

There is also one in the Historisches Museum der Pfalz in Speyer, Germany, on display. But since heavy objects tend to sink into lower, that is older strata, archaeologists are cautious to assign them to the Roman period. I read that the odd piece is (supposedly) securely dated to the Roman period, but we should expect lots more of evidence if the Romans really had used horseshoes in any number. A few sparrows don't make a summer.

[Longovicium]

Yes I wondered that. I just found it interesting that it was displayed with such confidence as if it had been proven somehow. There was no other information however.

[Youngster]

These items are alleged to be horseshoes. Supposedly they are Etruscan, 4th cent. BCE and were found in Corneto. The picture is a scan from American Journal of Archaeology. I don't know where they are currently held. If the Etruscans had horseshoes, it possible that the Romans knew of them as well. That said, I'm 100% convinced that these are actually horseshoes, and I'm a bit suspicious until I can locate where they are held today. I'm also curious why the Roman would continue to use hipposandals if horseshoes were available. Does anyone have any idea why such a seemingly difficult device would coexist with horseshoes?

Source: http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Jo...hoes*.html

[Eleatic Guest]

These items are alleged to be horseshoes. Supposedly they are Etruscan, 4th cent. BCE and were found in Corneto.

The author you quote argues for these items not to be permanently attached to the hoof, making them in the finaly analysis more comparable to hipposandals than true horseshoes:

The question now arises as to whether the horseshoes in Philadelphia are to be connected with the muleshoe mentioned by Catullus or are to be regarded as something entirely different, and this involves the practical question of how these shoes were attached to the hoof....The lack of any trace of iron in the square holes, together with the fact that they are square, not round, makes it very probable that they were for the use of straps...These shoes then would resemble the muleshoes of Catullus, which could thus be shown to be Etruscan in origin.

[Crispianus]

It would probably be a good idea to ask a Farrier just how practical it would be putting such a large nail in a horseshoe...I suspect it would cause a lot of damage...
It may be that this nail/rivet is connected to an organic component rather then directly on the animals hoof, in which case it likely follows a similar method of attachment as the Hipposandal...

sort of related....
Metal soled clogs are known from Etruscan graves see Etruscan Hinged Shoes pg9 here:

http://www.romanfinds.org.uk/public/file...a%2022.pdf

and of course these aren't nailed to the foot either mile: