Xiongnu sun and moon ornaments 4th C. BCE - 2nd C. CE
"6.11 The Xiongnu Customs: During the first month of each year, the kings and chiefs came to a minor gathering at the Chanyu court and offered sacrifices. In the 5th month of each year, a major gathering was held at Long Cheng (the Dragon City), where the Xiongnu gathered to make sacrifices to their ancestors, Heaven and Earth, spirits and divines. While in the autumn, when the horses were fattened, another major gathering called dailin was held to tally the number of people and livestock*.
According to Xiongnu law, anyone who drew his sword a foot from the scabbard against his adversary was executed. Anyone convicted of theft was deprived of his family possessions. The minor offender had his bones crushed on the rack, and the more severe offender was put to death. No prisoner was imprisoned for more than ten days, and in the entire kingdom only a few men were incarcerated at any one time.
At dawn, the Chanyu left his tent ger and made obeisance to the rising sun, and in the evening, he made a similar obeisance to the moon. When it came to the seating etiquette, the ranking seniors were seated at the left facing north. The fifth-day wu and the sixth-day ji of the celestial stem calendar were considered as most auspicious.
When it came to burial practice the Xiongnu buried their dead in a wooden coffin, protected by an outer vault; gold and silver ornaments, clothing and fur were interred. Unlike the customs of the Middle Kingdom they did not construct a grave-mound nor plant trees at the grave site, nor did they employ mourning garbs for the mourners. When a Chanyu died his favorite ministers and concubines accompanied him in death; sometimes as many as several scores and on occasions even up to several hundred followed him to his grave.
When the Xiongnu prepared for war, they first made observations of the moon. They attacked when the moon was full and retreated when the moon waned. After a battle, the warrior who returned with a decapitated head of the enemy or had taken a prisoner was presented with a goblet of wine and could keep the spoils he captured. All prisoners taken were held as slaves. Hence, whenever they went into battle, each man strove for his gains. They were skillful at setting up decoys to lure their enemies into an ambush. Whenever they sensed the enemies falling into disarray they swooped down like a flock of birds; when the battle tide turned against them, they dispersed and disintegrated like a wisp of smoke into nothingness. A warrior who recovered the body of his fallen comrade could keep the entire possessions of the deceased."
*Author's note: Dai Forest - Yan Shigu quoting from Fu Qian, "Dai was a Xianbei sacrificial custom from most ancient times. It was conducted in a forest during autumn. When trees were lacking in the surrounding areas, the riders thrust willow sticks in the sand and raced around the branches three times".
-Hanshu Xiongnu Zhuan Volume 94 Number 64 A. The Western Regions, Xiongnu, and Han (from the Shiji, Hanshu, and Hou Hanshu) translated and annotated by Joseph P. Yap (page 290)
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| Xiongnu sun and moon ornaments 4th C. BCE - 2nd C. CE. Ancient States Gallery, National Museum of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar. |
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| Image from Gary Todd's flickr. |
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| Image from Gary Todd's flickr. |
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| Image from Gary Todd's flickr. |
Source:
Bonn Contributions to Asian Archaeology (BCAA). Xiongnu Archaeology, Multidisciplinary Perspectives of the First Steppe Empire in Inner Asia. Edited by Ursula Brosseder, Bryan K. Miller 2011.
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