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A Fancy Horse, Crenelated Mane, & Scabbard Slide
#1
Just in case anyone is interested in Saka/Sarmatian origins, plus the universal adoption of their horse gear and sword-carrying style, here are some references worth looking at:

J.P. Mallory: Bronze Age Languages of the Tarim Basin. PDF, so just google the internet.

Ilyasov and Rusanov: A Study of the Bone Plates from Orlat, Journal of the Institute of Silk Road Studies, Kamakura, 1997/1998. PDF

Gruber, Ilyasov, and Kaniuth: A Decorated Ivory Belt from Tilla Bulak, Southern Uzbekistan; Brill, 2012. PDF

Berthold Laufer: Jade; a Study in Chinese Archaeology and Religion; Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, 1912. PDF on Google Books.

Otto Maenchen-Helfen: Crenelated Mane and Scabbard Slide; Central Asiatic Journal, Vol. 3, No. 2, 1957. PDF

William Trousdale: The Long Sword and Scabbard Slide in Asia; Smithsonian Institution, Washington, 1997. PDF

Jangar Ilyasov: Covered Tail and "Flying Tassels;" Irania Antiqua, Vol. XXXVII, 2003. PDF

Xiuqin Zhou: Zhaoling; The Mausoleum of Emperor Tang Taizong; Sino-Platonic Papers, No. 187, April, 2009. PDF

Gouthier, Kostov, and Strack: A Han-Dated Nephrite Scabbard Slide Found in Chatalka, Bulgaria. Internet PDF.

Laufer discusses scabbard slides, yet not knowing their function; then Maenchen-Helfen corrects Laufer, and finally Trousdale gives detailed info. The other PDFs discuss horse trappings, especially the crenelated mane from the Altai and adopted by the Chinese, Sassanians, and Indo-Scythians. Maenchen-Helfen and Zhou were unaware of a straight continuation from the Eastern Zhou period straight through to the Tang Dynasty. Emperor Shi Huandi's horses had a single crenelation. And here's a Han example of a double crenelated mane plus a fabric-covered tail:

[attachment=12364]DSC_0053.JPG[/attachment]
ink rubbing taken from original Western Han brick, Louyang, Henan Province.


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Alan J. Campbell

member of Legio III Cyrenaica and the Uncouth Barbarians

Author of:
The Demon's Door Bolt (2011)
Forging the Blade (2012)

"It's good to be king. Even when you're dead!"
             Old Yuezhi/Pazyrk proverb
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