Sarmatian horses

[Michael Kerr]

Hi Alanus, just sticking with the Ferghana horse for a little longer. I take your point about Altai stock probably being ancestor to later Steppe breeds. But it seems either through misreading of Chinese sources or ignorance that authors of articles in horse publications and historical publications or articles etc seem to lump them both together. "Heavenly Horses Of Ferghana". Even the latest issue of Ancient Warfare magazine contains an article about "The Battle Of Uzgen" between the Bactrian_Greeks of Ferghana and the Han Chinese covering the Han's first campaign "which failed" to obtain the "Blood Sweating Horses" by force. The writer of article was J. Albert Morales But the article was called "The War Of The Heavenly Horses". Is this a mistake that a lot of historians make lumping 2 famous lines of horses "Heavenly Horses from Ili Valley and "Blood Sweating Horses" of Ferghana Valley. Not just historians but novelists. I even have a novel by Gillian Bradshaw called "Heavenly Horses" and it is set in Ferghana. Pita Kelekna in book "The Horse In Human History" mentions that Chinese diplomat Zhang Qian was captured by Wusun while seeking allies against Xiongnu but still arranged "Chinese brides for horses" deal with Wusun and while on his return journey to Han court he passed through Ferghana Valley and noted that "Blood Sweating Horses" of Ferghana were even more impressive than "Heavenly Horses" of Ili Valley which indicates they were two different types of horses.
Just a note on Han diplomat Zhang Qian. Was he Sima Qian's relative?
Finally on "Heavenly Horses" was this a term coined by Chinese or is this what Wusun called their horses. Pita Kelekna mentions a bit later on that Han emperor Wudi may have had an ulterior motive other than military for acquiring these horses. Apparantly he was obsessed with his own immortality and

associated the "Heavenly Horses" with the mythical dragon, emblem of Imperial China and as emperor and "Son Of Heaven" he expected to be transported by a pair of these miraculous steeds to the heavenly home of the Immortals in the western Kunlun Mountains.

There is a hymn written in his honour and I shall repeat the first 4 lines. Confusing to me as it speaks of Heavenly Horse but it has red sweat. Maybe Ferghana breed was bigger but maybe confusion was caused by Han themselves as they must have spent a fair bit in goods as well as brides for Ili Valley horses and to find even more impressive horses in Ferghana Valley would be embarrassing but they did get their alliance with Wusun against Xiongnu.

The Heavenly Horse comes down,
A present from the Grand Unity,
Bedewed with red sweat,
That foams in an ochre stream

Regards
Michael Kerr