The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1906-12-02
THEORIES As TO oR'e. Or TIE AaAa4N zaaID

centuries between the birth OF Jesus
and the rise OF Mohammed the Arabs.
or at least some OF the great men
among tho tribes OF South Arabia,
had become possessed OF fine horses.
But while Ridgevay derives the Arab
ian type from the wild horse OF the
Nile Valley In Africa. Wallace traces
Its Introduction among sheiks oc
the desert to a gift OF two hundred
we'll bred horses from Cappadccia.''
sent by the Roman Emperor ConstSn-.
tine In the year s5s A. D. to the HON.
eritae. q tribe In Arabia Felix. now
called Yemen.
Mr.. wallace discovered this imports
ant fragment of horse history. which
no other writer seems TO have found.
among the partly preserved writings
OF PhilistorgiUS. a Greek theolOgians
who was born IN 435 A. ID. PhilfstoT-
rius says Constantine sent enrbassa-
doris to the Arabians TO induce them
TO embrace the Christian religion, and,
wishing to array the embassy with Pc
GUITAR splendor, put on board their
ships the Cappadocian horses and sent
them with many other gifts to the
sheiks.
This is believed TO be the first den-
mite allusion in all history to fms
horses in Arabia. and many circum-
stances seem to Indicate that from
these 200 well-bred Cappadocians ara
descended the present day race OF Ara
bians.
These white, or gray, horses OF Cap
padocia have been mentioned by nearly
every historian since the time Of
Herodotus, who tells US that in the
races and games established by xerxes
they took all the hOnors- The Persians
carried on horse breeding in their. can
tured provinces with great care They
were very particular about keeping this
pedigrees of their horses, and when
they ruled Cappadocia they improved
the native breed.
After the Romans took the provinces
from the Persians all the fine Cappa+
docian horses were appropriated for the
Emperor's stud. According to Gibbon,
either Cons tantine or one of his sue
cessors suppressed the rich. temple OF
Conana Gin Cappadocfs), where this
high priest OF the goddess Of war sup+
ported the dignity of a sovereign
prince. and they applied to their pri~
vate use the consecrated lands. which
were inhabited by 5000 subjects 81
slaves OF the deity and her ministerial
But these were not the valuable in4
habitants; the plains that stretch from
the foot Of Mount Argaeus to the banks
OF the Sarus bred a generous race OF
horses. renowned above all others IN
the ancient world for their majestic
shape and Incompatible swiftnesS,
These sacred animals, destined for this
service OF the palace and the imperial
games, were protected BY the. law from
the PROCLAMATION of a vulgar master"
In his commentaries on the laws OF
the Theodocian code relating to them
Jacob Godefroy has collected every cir
cumstance OF antiquity concerning the
Cappadocian horses. He says one OF
the finest breeds. the Palmatian. was
the forfeiture OF a rebel, whose estate
lay about sixteen miles from Tyana,
near the great road between Antioch
and Constantinople~
According to the poet Nemesian,
these Palmatian horses took theiI
name from the fact that all OF thu
breed had been branded with. a palm
leaf as a sign OF victory in eommem-
Grafton of the many racea they had
won. In the time of Constantine and
his successors they became so popuIas
that the Emperors established a mo-
nopoly and put q prohibitive tax on
their private ownership. PhiliStorgiua
says that Europitous. manager of the
royal stud. enriched himself by selling
them, for which he was put to death.
From tho earliest dawning OF histor.
until the middle ages the horses most
renowned for purposes of war, reIigio4A
and display seem to have been white 6N
gray OF this color were all those
chosen for dedication TO the gods OF
Persia, Scythia, Rome and Greece.
White horses were always demanded
as tribute. and white horses always
drew the chariots of the kings They
figured prominently in triumphsl
marches rs sign of pomp. luxury and
pride