The tomb of Ding Feng Photo: Jiangsu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism
A ceramic equestrian figurine featuring the world's earliest image of a stirrup has been found at the family tomb of Ding Feng, who was a general of Three Kingdoms period (220-280), in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu Province, pushing back the record of stirrup usage by 31 years, according to the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism.
Among the cultural relics unearthed from the tomb, the 20-centimeter-tall figurine ceramic horseman stood out due to a triangular stirrup visibly hanging on the left side of the horse's belly. This discovery has been described as a revolutionary one in the field of ancient military history, according to materials sent to the Global Times on Sunday.
The figurine has been dated to 271, the year of Ding's death, establishing it as the earliest-known representation of a stirrup globally. This discovery pushes back the record by 31 years from the previous holder -a ceramic figurine from a Western Jin (265-316) tomb discovered in Changsha, Central China's Hunan, dated to 302.
The ceramic equestrian figurine Photo: Jiangsu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism