This plaque can be safely attributed to the Xiongnu
people. Although the early history of the Xiongnu is
still blurred, we know that by the 3rd century BC they
already formed a vast steppe confederacy stretching
throughout the Eastern Eurasian steppes. The
artefacts most commonly associated with the
Xiongnu are the belt buckles formed either by a pair
of solid cast plaques or a pair of openwork plaques
cast in mirror image, comparable to the one here
illustrated. In fact many single plaques, like this one,
originally would have been produced in pairs; in each
pair the plaque worn on the left side would carry a
small hook for fastening on the front border of the
right plaque, while the attachment of the belt was
accomplished through the perforations in the
openwork design.
Our openwork plaque, shaped like a horizontal B,
without the defining border, features a mythological
raptor (sometimes identified as a gryphon) in combat
with a tiger. The raptor is a fantastic creature
distinguished from the eagle by its almond-shaped
animal eye. Both creatures are shown in profile but
their appendages; both of the raptor’s wings are
shown as are all the four paws of the tigers. The
wings and tail of the bird shows cell-like depressions
reflecting the inlay technique common in
contemporary golden plaques. The back of the
plaque is slightly concave with no attachment loops.
A mirror-image version of this plaque was excavated
at Xifeng xian Xichagou in Liaoning province with
wuzhu coins dating to the reigns of emperors Wen
(175 BC), Jin, Wu (140-87 BC) and Zhao. Another
version of the same was also found at Urbium in
southern Siberia, while a similar composition was
found in a Qin-period tomb at Zaomiao, Tongchuan,
Shaanxi province. The plaque is also closely related
to several gold buckles in the Treasure of Peter the
Great in the State Hermitage Museum in St.
Peterburg.
Reference:
E. Bunker, Ancient Bronzes of the Eastern Eurasian
Steppes, A.M. Sackler Foundation, 1997: pl. 222, p.
260. Sun Shoudao, “ Xiongnu Xichaogou wenhua
gumuqun de faxian”, Wenwu 1960.8-9: pp.25-35,
figs. 2-19 and pls. 1-21. Devlet, Marianna. Sibirskie
poyasnye azhurnye plastinki, II v. do N.E- IV N.E.,
Akademia Nauka: Moscow, 1980. Kaogu yu Wenwu
1986.2: p.10. Gryaznov, M.P., The Ancient
Civilizations of Southern Siberia, New York, 1969.
