Bronze Horse Muzzles from the stoai of Epirus

Abstract

This contribution examines two bronze horse muzzles from the stoai in the agorai of two Hellenistic urban centres of Epirus. The study of these artefacts is conducted through an accurate analysis of their morphological aspects, combined with an investigation of the architectural contexts and archaeological records. The research makes it possible, on the one hand, to propose a dating of the two muzzles, also identifying a series of comparisons with muzzles from other areas of the Mediterranean, and on the other to explain the presence of such characteristic objects in public spaces and suggest new hypotheses regarding the reconstruction of the depositional context and the use of the stoai.