Pack horse
Place of Origin
Culture/Period
Date From
386
Date To
534
Materials
Height (cm)
13.5 cm
Width (cm)
8 cm
Depth (cm)
18 cm
Accession Number
HKU.C.1953.0038
Description
This horse is hollow, standing on a rectangular base. In ancient China, horses played a crucial role in war and entertainment. The bulging sack slinging over its saddlecloth is an indicator of its role as transporting goods, possibly along the Silk Road. Back in the Northern Wei dynasty, the Luoyang City was the oriental starting point of the road. Therefore, horses had significant instrumental and monetary value, equivalent to fancy cars in the modern day.
Cracked on the based and covered in debris of dirt, it was dug out from the underground. Being the symbol of wealth, clay horses were buried together in the tomb with the deceased with superior social status. It was believed that such burial ritual would continue the wealth of the diseased even in the underworld. Such ritual can be dated back to the earliest period of Chinese history. During the Shang (1600-1046 BCE) and Zhou (1045-221 BC) dynasties, horses were buried alive in tombs of the rich. But then they were replaced by clay ones.
Cracked on the based and covered in debris of dirt, it was dug out from the underground. Being the symbol of wealth, clay horses were buried together in the tomb with the deceased with superior social status. It was believed that such burial ritual would continue the wealth of the diseased even in the underworld. Such ritual can be dated back to the earliest period of Chinese history. During the Shang (1600-1046 BCE) and Zhou (1045-221 BC) dynasties, horses were buried alive in tombs of the rich. But then they were replaced by clay ones.
Citation
“Pack horse,” 3D Objects at UMAG, accessed November 5, 2024, https://digasst.lib.hku.hk/items/show/143.