Changes

With the migration of Indo-European and Central Asian groups into the Near East by the end of the 3rd millennium BC and early 2nd millennium BC, we now begin to see horses used in warfare in early urban societies. The horse increasingly gains prominence in the ancient Near East, where the ancient Amarna texts refer to them as a trade item and that they were desired by elites.<ref>For information on the trade of horses from the Amarna letters, see: Morkot, Robert, and Robert Morkot. 2010. ''The A to Z of Ancient Egyptian Warfare''. Lanham: Scarecrow Press, pg. 107.</ref> Although horses had clear advantages in warfare, they may have taken sometime before they became more commonly used. For one, there was the complexity of training horses, which was considered more difficult and perhaps exchanges for horses indicates that few people had the needed skills to properly train them. In fact, texts exist that show that horses were often difficult to train. Horses, although used for warfare, were also seen as useful pack animals and were utilized in trade routes in the ancient Near East. Prices for horses, however, were more expensive than other pack animals, further suggesting the difficulty in mastering these animals.<ref>For more information on how horses were used and spread in the ancient Near East, see: Orlin, Louis L. 2007. ''Life and Thought in the Ancient Near East''. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, pg. 82.</ref> Horses by around 1800-1600 BC were utilized with chariots in war, making them now among the most important war weapons available for ancient armies. <ref>For information on war horses and chariots, see: Eglan, Jared. 2015. ''Beasts of War: The Militarization of Animals''. JEG Publishing, pg. 47.</ref>

==The Golden Age of the Horse==