Far eastern horse armour

[Andreas Johansson]

William Raymond Gingell (1852). The Ceremonial Usages of the Chinese: B. C. 1121, as prescribed in the "Institutes of the Chow dynasty strung as pearls;" or, Chow le kwan choo. Smith, Elder, & co. p. 81.

I hear that the emperors of the Chow dynasty were a hungry bunch.

Something funny is going on regarding the date, because 1121 BC is a couple generations before the Zhou dynasty is supposed to have started.

[Duncan Head]

William Raymond Gingell (1852). The Ceremonial Usages of the Chinese: B. C. 1121, as prescribed in the "Institutes of the Chow dynasty strung as pearls;" or, Chow le kwan choo. Smith, Elder, & co. p. 81.

I hear that the emperors of the Chow dynasty were a hungry bunch.

Something funny is going on regarding the date, because 1121 BC is a couple generations before the Zhou dynasty is supposed to have started.

It's one of the traditional start dates, before the modern consensus on chronology was established. For the 19th-century book cited, it would have been bang up to date.

[Dangun]

By the time of the Sui, "rhino-hide armour" was probably a classical literary topos, because rhinos were no longer available in most of China - at least, so http://chinese-unicorn.com/ch16/ suggests, and I recall nothing in the modern writings on armour to make me doubt it.

I think it might just mean tough-as-rhino leather armour?

[Patrick Waterson]

Apparently the main species of rhino in China only became extinct during the 20th century; whether a steady supply of hide would have been available in Sui times is another matter.

This might be of interest.

[Dangun]

In a further exchange of email, David Graff added, "My understanding of this is that 獸文 refers to leather armor with the images of ferocious beasts (such as tigers) painted on," which helpfully confirms group 2 and 4s horse armour was leather.

In the thread above, I had previously described it as, "bestial armour probably leather?"

(80% of Academics are very nice.)

[Patrick Waterson]

I hear that the emperors of the Chow dynasty were a hungry bunch.

It was a Chow-eat-chow existence.

In a further exchange of email, David Graff added, "My understanding of this is that 獸文 refers to leather armor with the images of ferocious beasts (such as tigers) painted on," which helpfully confirms group 2 and 4s horse armour was leather.

In the thread above, I had previously described it as, "bestial armour probably leather?"

Good translator's instinct there, Nicholas.

[Duncan Head]

In a further exchange of email, David Graff added, "My understanding of this is that 獸文 refers to leather armor with the images of ferocious beasts (such as tigers) painted on," which helpfully confirms group 2 and 4s horse armour was leather.

Intriguing - I don't recall seeing anything like that illustrated. Perhaps the "images" might be arranged something like this? Or perhaps it was just an elaborate monster-head chamfron?

[Dangun]

Interesting Duncan do you know when and where that pottery piece is from?

[Duncan Head]

Interesting Duncan do you know when and where that pottery piece is from?

No. I can only find it on https://www.ceramicstudies.me.uk/frame1tu11.html, which says it's Northern Wei but no more than that.