Donkeys as grave goods: Finds from the 9th century AD prove that noble women played polo on donkeys in imperial China. The remains of the animals in the grave of a noblewoman therefore go hand in hand with written records about polo players riding donkeys in the era of the Tang Dynasty.
When it comes to polo, most people probably think of the British upper class – but the unusual sport did not originate in Europe: the oldest known references to ball games from the saddle come from ancient Persia. Later, Polo became a hit in imperial China: numerous traditions and depictions prove the great importance of this pastime in the upper class during the rule of the Tang emperors, who ruled the country from 618 to 907 AD.
Only illustrations of polo games with horses are known from the art of the time, but donkeys were also used, as documented records show. The reason for this was the lower risk of injury when falling due to the use of the comparatively small mounts. Texts from the Tang Dynasty show that in addition to older men, some noble women also played donkey polo. As the international research team reports, their study now confirms these traditions for the first time through archaeological finds.
Donkey bones in a noble grave?
They come from the tomb of the noble lady Cui Shi, which is located in the Chinese city of Xi’an, which was once the center of the Tang Empire. It is known that Cui Shi was the wife of the influential nobleman Bao Gao and died in AD 878 at the age of 59. As the scientists report, animal bones were discovered in the grave in addition to numerous other finds, which they examined in more detail as part of their study.
It turned out to be the remains of donkeys. This finding seemed surprising at first: Why was the noble woman buried with these little-regarded workhorses? “There didn’t seem to be a reason why a woman like Cui Shi could have had a connection to donkeys, or why these animals were sacrificed for her afterlife,” says Songmei Hu, lead author of the Shaanxi Academy of Archeology in Xi’an. However, against the background of the historical traditions, the plausible explanation arose.
Polo donkey for the afterlife
As the researchers report, traces of certain stress patterns on the donkey bones also provided evidence that the animals were once used to play polo. As a further indication, Hu and his colleagues consider that the husband of the Cui Shi is said to have been a successful polo player: he was even promoted to general by the emperor Xizong because of his sporting achievements.
The researchers therefore conclude that Cui Shi was an enthusiastic donkey polo player. So that she could continue her favorite sport in the afterlife, polo donkeys were dedicated to her as a grave addition, the explanation. “The donkeys that were buried in the Tang Dynasty aristocratic grave now bear an interesting role that these animals played in East Asian society in addition to their function as burden bearers,” sums up co-author Fiona Marshall from Washington University in St. Louis.
Source: Washington University in St. Louis, technical article: Antiquity, doi: 10.15184 / aqy.2020.6