The Caspian is the oldest breed of horse still surviving—though it almost died out. In recent decades, Caspians were given a boost by a Virginia woman who married an Iranian and settled in Iran, where she became fascinated by the Caspian breed.
The 3,400-year-old remains were found at the site of Gohar Tappeh in 
Mazandaran province near the Caspian Sea.
In ancient times, Persian kings often chose Caspian horses to ride into battle or to pull their chariots. During more recent history, Prince Philip of England popularized the Caspian with modern royals.
The history of this small but very handsome horse likely goes back much further than 3,400 years, but the one unearthed is the oldest remains of he breed so far found.
“Due to the form, figure and size of the discovered remains of the horse, we now have the oldest evidence for Caspian horse ancestry at hand,” said Ali Mahforuzi, the director of the archaeological team in Gohar Tappeh.
“We have to continue our research until we reach the virgin [untouched] soil in order to establish the oldest human occupation at the site,” he said. “It seems the excavation is gradually moving past the cemetery [where the horse remains were found], and into an industrial level since we found a clay-kiln in 2006. We are hoping that we will have more information about the industrial section of the site too by next year.”
This horse was apparently buried alongside humans. This is not uncommon for ancient burials and demonstrates just how much horses were valued in those times..
The Caspian horse was thought to have gone extinct in Iran until 1965 when Louise Firouz, the American wife of an Iranian, went on an expedition on horseback and discovered small horses in the Alborz mountains south of the Caspian Sea.
The number of surviving Caspian horses in Iran is still quite small, but the overall number of registered Persian Caspians worldwide is estimated at 1,300 mainly in the US, UK, Germany and Australia.
Caspian horses have light frames, thin bones, and a short, fine head with a pronounced forehead, large eyes, short ears and small muzzles.
They are also very fast, strong and spirited, and have good temperaments. Louise Firouz described them as “kind, intelligent and willing.”
Firouz stayed in Iran after the revolution and after her husband’s death. She died at the age of 78 three years ago this month.
Previous excavations at Gohar Tappeh have yielded many interesting finds such as a cobble-stoned lane, skeletal remains of a warrior, the skeleton of a child and a bronze pendant with a bullhorn motif, and a number of bull statuettes.
Archaeologists also discovered an unidentified artifact in a grave beside a skeleton, which some musicians in Mazandaran believe could be a clarinet.
