The history of the whip dates back several millennia. During this time, the appearance, scope and materials from which it was made changed in every way. Being a shepherd, the whip rendered indispensable help to people in grazing the herd. The hunting whip was a tool for finishing the game and served to control horses during the noble hunting with dogs. What is the whip and photo of this ancient instrument we will consider in this article.
The history of the whip
It is extremely difficult to trace the appearance of a whip. For the first time, it began to be used by the peoples of Asia long before AD but spread over time to the states of Europe and America. Ancient peoples used the whip as a magical item with which they conjured a crop to increase the fertility of the fields. Some nations asked the gods for help, lapping their statues. In addition, many ancient peoples believed that whip strikes contribute to the fertility of both women and men. This tool gained very great popularity among the steppe peoples.
In order to understand what a whip is and to find out its role in the life of nomads, you need to delve a little into their history. Since time immemorial, the steppe inhabitants have used this device for several main functions:
- as a weapon used in hand-to-hand combat;
- for managing herds of cattle and herds of horses;
- like a hunting gun.
In addition to nomadic peoples, the inhabitants of ancient Assyria also actively used the whip. She became a mandatory attribute of equestrian warriors. The whip was most popular in the army during the Middle Ages, when it could be seen with any horse rider. Today it has been preserved as a national weapon among the peoples of Kalmykia, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
Whip in ancient Rome
The whip was very popular in the era of antiquity. It is noteworthy that at that time his appointment was not so much economic as symbolic. Whipping - was a special punishment, originally applied exclusively to slaves in ancient Rome. Later, flogging was often used in Roman legions to maintain discipline and was indicative. In addition, the whip had religious significance and was an invariable attribute of the ancient Roman gods. Also, the military leaders of Rome decorated their chariots with lashes during triumphal ceremonies in honor of the victories won.
Whip device
The main component of the whip is a long belt made of genuine leather with a round cross section, which in turn is divided into “body”, cracker and foul. The body consists of thin strips of skin intertwined with each other and tapering to the end, to which a foul is attached - a narrow belt. Next, a cracker is attached, which is made from synthetics, or horse hair.
During the strike, the foul can develop supersonic speed, so the cracker emits a fairly loud pop, which scares the cattle. Shepherds use it to control the movement of the herd.