Storms in Israel in 2019 unearthed unusual horse figurines, with bits and bridles, but not bodies. Closer inspection shows red stripes marking the reins and bridle. There also appears to be the left hand of the rider, colored red like the reins and bridle.
One of the horse statues has been dated to at least 2,800 years ago, the time of the Israelite Kingdom, and the other to the Hellenistic period at least 2,200 years ago. Horses had become deeply established in the region by that time, albeit for mobility and for prestige. Horses were not for pulling plows, but to get about, and visit or conquer the neighbors. These are not the first horse statuary found in the region which were relatively popular by about 3,000 years ago. But they are the best preserved.
