Having thought a little about the people of the Iron Age it is now the turn of there beasts of burden - in this case the pony. It is doubtful that the great unwashed of Iron Age society had access to what we would describe as a horse. This was the preserve of the elite - instead they would have had access to ponies which would have carried heavy loads over any distance. These creatures wouldn't have been the pampered playthings of the pony club but rather tough hardy ponies you would find on Dartmoor today. As to how these beasts were used is really unclear. They probably had panniers strapped to their backs and so anything they carried would have to have been restricted as to how it could be fitted into the panniers. This, however, does leave a lot of scope for exactly they would carry. The use of ponies would then place limits as to how far an Iron Age person might travel in a day - perhaps 15/20 miles. At the end of each day there had to be some form of graving and water for the ponies and of course this in turn would increase the number of ponies were being used. Again this would potentially limit the number of ponies that might be used. It would also mean that there must have been some form of communal hospitality for such travellers, either at individual farmsteads or perhaps even more formal stop off areas. It might be too fanciful to call these places inns but if there was a constant stream of travellers then who knows. If these places did develop then all of a sudden we are starting to see a more complicated societal structure where specialists are supported in someway. Suddenly Iron Age society becomes a lot more recognisable than some strange distant figures looking fierce on a hill side with blue woad but they are us dealing with problems that we would recognise. And all this from a quick sketch of a pony.
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