Khitan Banners & Standards

[DougM]

Does anyone have any sources to cast light on what sorts of standards/banners etc were carried by Khitan troops at the start of the 13 century?

[Duncan Head]

By that time the Khitan were subject to the Jurchen, and then to the Mongols, and I don't know of any data from that period. Chinese-influenced flags of some type, though.

The "Xiongnu" from the NY "18 Songs" manuscript are usually thought to be based on earlier Khitan, and they carry a group of flags in the colours of the Five Directions - see https://scrolls.uchicago.edu/scroll/eighteen-songs-nomad-flute-story-lady-wenji

I may be able to find a couple of other pictures this evening, but they won't be 13th-century.

[DougM]

Thank you Duncan, I wasn't overly optimistic about finding authoritative material, so any sort of representation, even if anachronistic would be good...   

[Duncan Head]

This, I believe, is Khitan-Liao, the Eagle Army fresco referred to here.

This one is a modern painting of Khitan, but it's by M Gorelik, who can usually be taken seriously.

And this page has some paintings with Jurchen-Jin flags, if that's the period you're after.

[DougM]

That's terrific. thanks Duncan. I started on one version tonight, it looks rather good.

[Swampster]

And this page has some paintings with Jurchen-Jin flags, if that's the period you're after.

Interesting - looks like the flag has the five colours of the directions on it. The order would work if the other side of the flag is the mirror image, then reading E, S, W, N (which is apparently the current Chinese method, beginning with E).

[Dave Beatty]

If my Chinese is correct, this may show Liao banners. http://www.nationalgeographic.com.cn/science/archaeology/2829.html

Wiki has a decent article on the Jin Song Wars https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jin–Song_Wars with some good depictions of Jurchen and Khitan Liao armies and banners https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Battleofzhuxiancounty.jpg that are 13th century.

[Duncan Head]

If my Chinese is correct, this may show Liao banners. http://www.nationalgeographic.com.cn/science/archaeology/2829.html

Most of the illustrations are well-known Tang tomb-paintings. The first one I don't recognize, but it looks fairly Tang.

Wiki has a decent article on the Jin Song Wars https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jin–Song_Wars with some good depictions of Jurchen and Khitan Liao armies and banners https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Battleofzhuxiancounty.jpg that are 13th century.

Pretty, but obviously modern, and I'm not sure how much faith I'd put in the artist's ideas.

[khwchan888]

The first link is for a related article in connection with Empress Wu.

The second link is modern and looks more like Ming and Ching rather than Tang or Khitan