Archaeologists have discovered a well-preserved leather saddle in northwest China that may be the oldest found to date. This is stated in the study published in the journal Archaeological Research in Asia.
The saddle was found in a grave at Yanghai Cemetery, 43 km from the city of Turfan in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The remains of four people buried in two layers were unearthed from the tomb. One of the skeletons, as the experts discovered, belonged to a woman. Fragments of clothing were preserved there – fur coats made of skins, woolen trousers and short leather boots. In the burial were also found a ceramic bowl with a handle, a woven woolen ribbon, the remains of a woolen cloth and a leather saddle, positioned so that the buried woman sat on it.
Xinjiang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archeology and Turfan Museum
Scholars have dated the saddle between 727 and 396 BC. This is probably the only directly dated archaeological saddle from China, according to the study.
The saddle consists of two oval-shaped pillows sewn from skins, stuffed with straw, as well as camel and sheep hair. The panels are sewn together on the outer edges and separated by a spacer in the middle.
“Being a skillful product, the saddle is however less complex than the Scythian saddles of the 5th-3rd centuries. British Columbia,” the study says.
The woman in whose grave the saddle was found could belong to a community of horse herders who lived in the steppes or the mountains, or the saddle could have come to her as a result of contact with representatives of such a community.
P. Wertmann
According to archaeologists, unlike earlier finds from rich Scythian burials, the saddle found in China was made of inexpensive materials and was used by a simple woman. However, it testifies to the high know-how of the craftsmen. The technique of making the saddle, the covering of the leather and the quality of the stitching indicate that the craftsman was familiar with tanning, horse breeding and riding.
At the same time, the absence of complex decorative elements, as well as signs of wear and repairs carried out in a simpler and cruder way, indicate that the saddle was an object of everyday use, according to scientists.
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