Subject: 騎兵 cavalryman
Culture: Chinese
Setting: early-mid Tang empire, 7-8thc
Context (Event Photos, Primary Sources, Secondary Sources, Field Notes)
* Ranitsch/McBride 1995 p
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* Peers/Perry 1996 p
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Saber
* Zhang 2009 p9-10
"The Sui Dynasty (581-618 AD) brought to a close the long period of chaos caused by incessant warfare, and, during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) that followed, economic and military power in feudal China reached its zenith. The technology of sword manufacturing advanced to a very high level and influenced weapons production in many neighboring countries. Because of their high quality, straight dao were still in use, and many types of dao with varying shapes were developed for special purposes.
"Carried on the waist, heng dao (橫刀), a dao with the short, narrow features of swords from earlier eras, and mo dao (陌刀), a specialized long-handled dao, first appeared during the Tang Dynasty. Both of these dao were popular in the army. Historical documentation indicates that about 80 percent of soldiers in the army used heng dao.
"Dao with a sharp edge on each side of the tip appeared during the Tang Dynasty. The two-edged dao tip was a recurring feature in the evolution of the sword."
* Bennett 2018 p72
"The steel huanshou dao was long, straight and single-edged, with a wide tang and a ring pommel. It was greatly similar in nature to the swords that were developing across Central Asia. For a horse-borne warrior moving at speed, a single-edged blade proved to be more wieldy than a double-edged sword, and Chinese cavalry had to compete with the highly mobile invasion forces from the Steppes. Straight, ring-pommelled swords were entrenched as a standard weapon through the unsettled times which preceded the reunification of China under the Sui dynasty, and continued to feature into the Tang dynasty.
"By the time that the Tang dynasty collapsed in the early tenth century, the single-edged sword had started to adapt further for cavalry use, taking on a curved edge to the blade and acquiring a hand guard. It began to resemble the type which was recognisable as the typical Chinese dao for the next thousand years or so until the end of imperial rule."
* Ranitsch/McBride 1995 p
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* Peers/Perry 1996 p
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Armor
* Bennett 2018 p15-16
"Lamellar armour was introduced in China around the fourth century. It quickly became widely established, and is frequently found on sculpted figures and in paintings of the Sui, Tang and Song dynasties. The structure was related to the less intricate laced plate types of the Zhou and Han dynasties, but as an armour form it was primarily spread by the equestrian peoples of Central Asia. It could be worn by infantry, often in the form of sleeveless corselets, but was particularly well suited to cavalry use. The materials, tough surface and overlap of the lamellae acted to deflect arrows and absorb impact from any that penetrated, meaning that it was ideal in environments where archers on horseback dominated the battlefield. The earliest surviving evidence for use of lamellar scales in China tends to come from frontier fortifications in the border regions in the north and west, where Chinese forces experienced the most confrontation and cultural exchange with steppe populations who fought as mounted archers. The earliest known evidence of lamellar armours was discovered in Egypt and western Asia, again indicating an eastward migration of the armour type."
* 5000 years of Chinese costumes 1984 p100
"In the Tang Dynasty, combat armour was chiefly made from iron or leather. Among the thirteen kinds of armour recorded in 'The Six Codes of the Tang Dynasty', six (shining armour, shining waist armour, small-scaled armour, mountain-patterned armour, black hammer armour, and chain armour) were made of iron, mostly exquisitely shaped and wrought. The pieces were linked with leather strips or rivets. Other kinds of armour were mostly made of leather.
"Apart from the iron and leather types, there were also 'white cloth', 'black silk' and 'cotton vest' armour made of such fabrics as cotton and silk. Though light, easy to put on and of attractive appearance, they were unfit for combat purposes, and were only worn by officers in peace time or by the guard of honour. Finally, the cavalry and infantry wore armour made from wood. Styles of all the above-mentioned armour find expression in many extant paintings."
* Ranitsch/McBride 1995 p
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* Peers/Perry 1996 p
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