国立情報学研究所 - ディジタル・シルクロード・プロジェクト
『東洋文庫所蔵』貴重書デジタルアーカイブ

are only repetitions of ancient motives that easily continue to the middle of
the I millennium. Plate XXXIX no. 6 warrants the same date. Here the
opening for the pin is not the usual round hole but instead is in the form of
a slit. The monster-head is completely geometric, broken up with thread-line
forms. They frame cups that sometimes still hold turquoise. Generally these
imitations of so-called Ch'in ornaments resemble their models fairly closely.
They lack precision, however, and the decorated background which is never
lacking in Ch'in examples.
4) Objects of accoutrement.
The inventory of the Minussinsk horseman is not by any means completely
known. It would certainly be possible to add other objects to those compiled
by Martin and Tallgren, had the discoveries of the last few years been published.
a) Scabbards.
Tallgren has proved the existence of scabbards for curved weapons in the
Minussinsk region (20). His examples are wider at the opening but not so
curved as ours, yet the essential characteristics remain the same. In each case the
bronze is completed with leather to form the scabbard. It is decorated on one
side only, and the animals placed along the edge are smooth and unmodeled at
the back. This may be explained by the fact that the scabbard touched the
clothing. As for two examples from the Loo collection (Plate XL nos. 1 & 2),
it seems likely that they hung in a nearly horizontal position because of the square
loops on each corner of the upper edge. On the second piece there is another
pair of loops on the lower edge as well, but it is impossible to explain their
purpose. The oblique ribbons which form the outside of the scabbards are
ornamented with dots. It is the string of animals, once six stags so close that
they touch each other, the other seven separate geese, which helps us to solve
the question of date. The stags have the characteristic Minussinsk round perfo-
rations in the eyes, nostrils and antlers, but otherwise they are rather summarily
executed. The rendering of only the elementary features is even more pronounc-
ed with the geese. This brings us to a date at the end of the I millennium, a
date given to knives that were of the same style.
An extremely interesting object (Plate XL no. 3) is without parallel. We
have added it only provisionally to the group of scabbards because of its general
shape. It differs from the preceding pieces, the purpose of which is unmistak-
able, in that it is open below, and that the two sides are treated in the same way
except for the ornamental ribbon along the sides. The inner side has five holes
on the socket section, one under each animal head, surrounded by a smooth
frame. There are two more holes on the edge, behind the first and in front of
the last animal-head. On one side of the arc, only slightly curved, we find a
chain of triangles on a low background, while the other side has two denticulated
bands that come from each edge, their points touching a medial bar which