Re: [tied] equus sivalences and the R.gveda horse with 34 ribs

The genus Equus began to spread into Eurasia at the end of the Pliocene, about 2.5-1.6 million years ago. There were a few species of horse in Asia at that time (E. sivalensis, E. sanmeniensis, E. namadicus) and a few more in Europe and Africa. Not all of them looked like modern horses; remember that asses, onagers and zebras are also members of the same genus. The Shivalik fauna (including E. sivalensis) was long extinct by time the first modern humans left Africa (and a very long time before the Rgveda was composed, of course).

Piotr

----- Original Message -----
From: kalyan97@...

To: cybalist@egroups.com

Sent: Saturday, November 11, 2000 2:27 AM

Subject: [tied] equus sivalences and the R.gveda horse with 34 ribs

Please see the URL http://sarasvati.simplenet.com/horse2.htm In the course of the as'vamedha, a precise enumeration is given about the number of ribs of the horse -- 34. This is distinct from the 38-ribbed Arabian horse, equus caballus. It appears that was a species called equus sivalensis in the pliocene (see picture). Fossils have been found of this species in the Shiwalik ranges in north India. Could the as'va referred to in the R.gveda refer to this equus sivalensis? And not to the equus caballus? There is pictorial evidence of the use of onagers in Mesopotamia to draw chariots.