The horsemen of Karbala

Abstract

This article analyzes a fresco from the ninth or tenth century preserved in a sepulchre church at Guzelyurt (ancient Karbala) in Cappadocia. Two officers of the Byzantine army, Leon, a skribon, who is buried there, and Michael, a turmarch, are depicted on horseback, in keeping with the iconographic scheme of representing holy horsemen. They are attacking an infantryman depicted between them. The infantryman has driven his dagger into the breast of Michael's horse. The text provides a historical background and an iconographic interpretation of the composition. It is a commemorative representation of two soldiers who probably died in battle. Compositions celebrating military activities and justifying the killings committed in war were of special importance in the region at a time when the military played a major role in defending the empire. .

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