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Equestrian

Middle Niger civilization

Not on view

Horses determined who ruled in the Middle Niger. From the thirteenth century, military corps protected cities and supported the foot soldiers of state armies. At the same time, the prodigious quantities of water and grain required for the survival of a horse in the Sahel presented a logistical challenge that constrained their deployment. In Middle Niger equestrian figures, the diminutive scale of the horse relative to its rider indicates a type of small West African pony that was described by Arab visitors to Sahelian courts.

Equestrian, Terracotta, Middle Niger civilization

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Courtesy Nelson-Atkins Media Services /Jamison Miller