sometimes, however, terminating in the head of a horse; there is no ornamental framework connecting them with the chariot, but in its stead we see a thin bar, attached to which, either above or below, there is in most instances a loop, whereto we may suppose that the reins were occasionally fastened.  No shield is suspended behind these chariots; but we sometimes observe an embroidered drapery hanging over the back, in a way which would seem to imply that they were closed behind, at any rate by a cross-bar.

The trappings of the chariot-horses belonging to the two periods are not very different.  They consist principally of a headstall, a collar, a breast-ornament, and a sort of huge tassel pendent at the horse’s side.  The headstall was formed commonly of three straps:  one was attached to the bit at either end, and passed behind the ears over the neck; another, which was joined to this above, encircled the smallest part of the neck; while a third, crossing the first at right angles, was carried round the forehead and the cheek bones.  At the point where the first and second joined, or a little in front of this, rose frequently a waving plume, or a crest composed of three huge tassels, one above another; while at the intersection of the second and third was placed a rosette or other suitable ornament.  The first strap was divided where it approached the bit into two or three smaller straps, which were attached to the bit in different places.  A fourth strap sometimes passed across the nose from the point where the first strap subdivided.  All the straps were frequently patterned; the bit was sometimes shaped into an animal form and streamers occasional floated from the nodding plume or crest which crowned the heads of the war-steeds.

The collar is ordinarily represented as a mere broad band passing round the neck, not of the withers (as with ourselves). but considerably higher up, almost midway between the withers and the cheek-bone.  Sometimes it is of uniform width while often it narrows greatly as it approaches the back of the neck.  It is generally patterned, and appears to have been a mere flat leathern band.  It is impossible to say in what exact way the pole was attached to it, though in the later sculptures we have elaborate representations of the fastening.  The earlier sculptures seem to append to the collar one or more patterned straps, which, passing round the horse’s belly immediately behind the fore legs, served to keep it in place, while at the same time they were probably regarded as ornamental; but under the later kings these belly Lands were either reduced to a single strap, or else dispensed with altogether.

The breast-ornament consists commonly of a fringe, more or less complicated.  The simplest form, which is that of the most ancient times, exhibits a patterned strap with a single row of long tassels pendent from it, as in the annexed representation.  At a later date we find a double and even a triple row of tassels.