Orlat Plaques
 | It has been suggested that this article be merged with Orlat plaques. (Discuss) Proposed since November 2022. |
| Orlat Plaques | |
|---|---|
| Material | Bone |
| Size | 11 cm × 13.5 cm (4.3 in × 5.3 in) |
| Created | 1st–4th century AD |
| Place | Nomadic tomb, Orlat cemetery, Kurgan |
| Present location | Institute of Art Studies, Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan |
| Culture | Sogdian |
The Orlat Plaques are an artifact unearthed in the 1980s from the burial of a nomad, considered a masterpiece of Sogdian art. The plaques were unearthed from a grave near Samarkand. The left half is decorated with an elaborated battle scene, while on the other side is depicted a hunting scene. There are three other plaques, smaller in size, on which are depicted a vulture, fighting Bactrian camels, and warriors.
Overview
The artifact was extracted near Samarkand from the tomb of a nomad.[1][2] The left side of the belt closure displays an elaborated battle. The other side is engraved with a hunting scene. Three additional plaques of smaller size show a vulture, Bactrian camels, and warriors. The latter three parts likely belong to other parts of the same belt.[1][3]
The plaque with the battle scene depicts a clash with armored warriors. There are soldiers battling on foot, and before them there is a horseman brandishing a sword clashing with another horseman relying on his lance. A warrior has been deprived of his horse down to the right. His lance is broken and he prepares, with his sword, to fight his opponent, a horseman lunging on him with a lance.[3][1][4]
According to Markus Mode, the composition was originally larger, and it was copied from another source.[1]
The plaque depicts a battle between the sedentary Sogdians and the nomadic invaders. In it, the Sogdian hero, leader of his group, repels the attacks of the groups of nomads. For the Sogdians the nomadic incursions were a real threat. According to Mode there is more to it than the record of a battle. The plaque is “a very early manifestation of the narrative imagery that characterizes Sogdian art—one that finds its supreme expression in the painted cycles of 7th- and early 8th-century Panjikent."[1]
Thus, the purpose of Sogdian art was to transmit narrative. In their paintings and carvings, "Sogdian artists would include only the essentials. Lines, blocks of color, and a few landscape elements to set the scene create an easy-to-read two-dimensionality that helps advance the progress of the depicted tale." As noted by Mode, this style's origin may be seen in two Orlat plaques.[3][1]
It is possible that the plaque was informed by the painting of Alexander the Great fighting Darius III of Persia (the original dating to the 3rd century BC, the Pompeii copy dating to the 1st century BC). Images of this kind, in smaller scale, "must have circulated throughout Hellenistic Bactria and Sogdiana. Surely the belt’s owner would not have known this, but he would have worn and treasured it in life as a symbol of accomplishment or power, and thus wished to take it with him into the afterlife."[1]
Bibliography
- The Orlat Battle Plaque and the Roots of Sogdian Art, Markus Mode, in M. Compareti, P. Raffetta, and G. Scarcia (eds.) Ērān ud Anērān: Studies Presented to Boris Il'ič Maršak on the Occasion of his 70th Birthday, Venice: Libreria editrice Cafoscarina
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Lerner, Judith A. "Orlat Plaques". Freer, Sackler - Smithsonian. Archived from the original on 11 September 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
- ^ Joseph R. Svinth, Thomas A. Green, ed. (2010). Martial Arts of the World An Encyclopedia of History and Innovation · Volume 2. ABC-CLIO. p. 59. ISBN 978-1-78671-699-6.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|authors=ignored (help) - ^ a b c Bellemare, Julie; Lerner, Judith A. "The Sogdians at Home - Art and Material Culture". Freer, Sackler - Smithsonian. Archived from the original on 11 September 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
- ^ Baumer, Christoph (2018). History of Central Asia, The: 4-volume Set. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 96. ISBN 9781838608682.