Salvete omnes,
the month of January is coming to its end today. It has been a very cold month in our Northern Hemisphere.
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| King hunting wild boar |
perusing the Wiki Commons archives I came across this Sassanian metal plate found in the Northern Wei tomb. Which gives me a chance to share some very fine photos of the Northern Wei tomb art showing their horses, warriors, horse musicians, hunting and their heavy cavalry on caparisoned horses.
You can listen to the Chinese History podcast to learn more about the Northern Wei ( in the comfort of your own surroundings)- an interview with prof. Scott Pearce , author of the book on the Northern Wei.
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| Northern Wei fresco - detailed images of horse archers, dogs, and prey animals |
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| Model of the Northern Wei tomb |
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Northern Wei fresco   |
. all these Bactrian camel sculptures come from the Northern Wei tombs - long distance travel, trade and influence across the Central Asian lands were the essential parts of the Northern Wei state.
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Nota bene, the story of Mulan (Hua Mulan)
seems to have come from this period (preserved in the writings of Song Dynasty), hence some researchers say that she was not really a Han Chinese but a warrior from the northern China Sinicized (assimilated into the Han Chinese culture etc) nomadic northern peoples.
enjoy
Valete
