Abstract
Purpose.
This article analyzes 78 pieces of horse equipment from a medieval burial of a woman and a newborn child. A silver-inlaid iron stirrup stands out among the rest.
Results.
Ornamentation covers both sides of the stirrup neck, the bows, and the inner and outer sides of the footrest. Its shape is typical of Turkic antiquities, but the style of the depiction is linked to Chinese decorative art. Similar stirrup bits have been found in medieval sites in the Minusinsk Basin, and beyond, in the Altai Mountains, eastern Kazakhstan, and eastern Mongolia. Iron bits with twisted links and cast bronze gilded cheekpieces in an S-shaped pattern. One has a boot-shaped end, the other has a simple end. The decorative and functional harness components included bronze, gilded, solid-cast buckles and strap tips of varied shapes and ornamentation, crafted using hand embossing. Applied plaques decorated with eight-petaled flowers and scalloped petal-shaped plaques also have close parallels in horse burials in Mongolia, the Altai Mountains, and Tuva. Bronze cast pendant plaques include examples of smooth, tinned plaques and ornamented, gilded ones. Among them, a relief plaque depicting two feline predators arched in a leap stands out.
Conclusion.
The entire set of items constitutes a complete set of riding horse equipment. They have an archaic appearance and could be preserved for a long time as “family heirlooms”. Their popularity in nomadic society as an indicator of social prestige dates back to the 8
th
– 9
th
centuries.