2 replies to this topic

[Intranetusa]

Continuation of this topic:
http://www.chinahist...ry-cataphracts/


It is believed that the first cataphracts (cavalry with both armored horses and rider) arose in East Asia during/after the 3 Kingdoms era and during the Jin period...and earliest horse armors came from the Western Han era (2nd century BCE). There is only direct archeological evidence for cataphracts during the Jin era, in the form of pottery figures and artwork.

However, I stumbled across:

"Notes on Turquois in the East"
http://books.google....nepage&q&f=true


The book states that the Wei Prime Minister T'sao T'sao of the Three Kingdoms era mentions the gift of metal horse armor. Does anyone what the contemporary source for this?

Furthermore, the book states that horse armor was alluded to in the "Shi King" - which was written between the 10th and 7th century BCE. I thought (from what I've read) that horse armor, even non-comprehensive horse armor, didn't arise until the 2nd century BCE in East Asia. Does anyone know more about this?

Edited by Intranetusa, 22 June 2012 - 12:37 PM.

[f0ma]

The earliest reference to horse armour in China is c.188 CE (maybe BCE? Could be a typo in my source), though the first archaeological evidence comes from 302. Cao Cao apparently owned ten sets of horse armour, but they are presumed to have just been partial front barding, in keeping with the 302 tomb depictions. On your second point, horseback riding was only adopted by the steppe people north of China sometime between 650 and 350 BCE. The Chinese themselves don't appear to have ridden horses before the fourth century BCE. Because Laufer was writing in 1914, I'd take what you read with a pinch of salt, it definitely sounds dated now.

Edited by f0ma, 22 June 2012 - 01:32 PM.

[tadamson]

It's worth remembering that armour for chariot horses was common in the middle east from the 8th c BCE, so not impossible across any chariot using culture, or those descended from them.
Hourse armour in Centrral Asia for ridden horses also appears fairly early.