The Caballo Hibrido was excavated at Nimrud

Where the artefact was found? What is its size? What is its weight? What is its design? How many of these artefacts were found? What it is called? What it is made of?
The Caballo Hibrido was found at Nimrud. It is 10 feet tall and 90cm wide. The Caballo Hibrido is golden with shades of grey and it weighs about 500 kg. It is rectangular in shape, showing a creature with the face of an Egyptian pharaoh, the body of a horse, the wings of a bird and a lions feet. Only 16 of such artefacts have been found previously and all of them were found around the same region. Such artefacts are very rare and can only be found in museums now. It is believed that these artefacts were made by skilled artists in ancient Egypt as the statue was still intact despite having been made thousands of years before it was excavated. Most of the Caballo Hibrido statues found were made of clay, just like this statue that had just been excavated. As a result of the material used to make the statue, it is exceedingly fragile and chips off very easily, and thus has to be preserved carefully. The texture of the artefact is rather rough and you can be abraded if you accidentally rub against its surface. The oldest Caballo Hibrido found was made in 883 B.C and the newest was made in 859 B.C.

Why do you think it was made?

The Caballo Hibrido features a pharaohs head, a gigantic wing, a horses body and the feet of a lion. The wing represents the ability to fly and it is meant for the creature to consecrate the pharaohs so that they will go to heaven after their deaths. The horse body constitutes the strong muscles of a horse, blessing them with health and long life. The feet of a lion represent the power of the lion as king of the forest. This embodies the power of the pharaohs as rulers of Egypt. The pharaohs of ancient Egypt were superstitious and they believe that creatures like the Caballo Hibrido would bring them luck and serve as acknowledgement for their power. Thus I feel that such statues were made by skilled artists of a lower class as gifts to the ancient Egyptian pharaohs to impress them, so that they would gain reputation or money as rewards. It is also possible that the Egyptian pharaohs ordered the statues to be made for them, because the ancient pharaohs like to use these statues as decoration for their palace. They feel that it is very artistic, and the Caballo Hibrido would serve as guards, preventing evil spirits from entering while symbolizing the power of the pharaohs at the same time. There is also a possibility that they had ordered the statue to be made as a gift for their holy gods. In the Egyptian religion, the people believe that when they give something to the gods, the gods will favour them with things like money, longevity and marriage. By giving the statue of the Caballo Hibrido to the gods during one of their religious ceremonies, the pharaohs can then gain the favour and support of the gods, enabling them to strengthen the power of their rule.

What does it tell you about that particular people/culture/civilization?

The Caballo Hibrido tells me that the Ancient Egyptians were superstitious as they believe in the existence of gods. They would offer gifts to their gods in order to gain the favour of the gods. They believe that by making the gods happy, their lives would get better It also tells me that the pharaohs enjoy power and they view themselves as the highest ranking humans in the society. Statues of the Caballo Hibrido were placed at their palaces gates as guardians and they symbolises the power of the pharaohs. As the pharaohs value stature, they will ill-treat people who disrespect them and might even kill them. Through the Caballo Hibrido, I can tell that the Ancient Egyptians culture believe animals and human beings are closely related and animals can be used to represent them. One example is the Caballo Hibrido, it is a mixture of different parts of different animals. The Ancient Egyptians also care a lot about their social class. They differentiate their people into many social groups and the people of the lower classes cannot hold positions with responsibility; they can only be slaves and work all day long and no complaints from them will be entertained. Only the people related to the pharaohs will be given higher rank in society. They have more power and authority over others, and everybody must worship them as superior beings. Ancient Egypt is very well known for their art pieces. Many Egyptian artists in the past were very skilled and their art pieces usually include a mix of different animals. Examples of ancient Egyptian art would include their sculptures and wall paintings, most of which involve animals.