馬的文化 The Horse in Chinese Culture

放大圖片

雙馬金牌飾 Gold ornament featuring a pair of horses

戰國 Warring States Period （公元前475 – 前221年）

河北省文物研究所

Hebei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics

　金牌上端正中飾牛頭，牛角兩側各有一個昂首曲身的怪獸，牛頭下部正中又飾相向而臥的雙馬，雙馬兩側飾相向怪獸。雙馬神是印歐民族原始宗教的神祇，曾廣泛流傳於吐火羅語系的遊牧民族間，其中能操吐火羅方言的一支大月氏人，在先秦時期至西漢初年，一度稱霸中國北方草原，控制東西方交通要道，影響所及，燕文化也出現帶雙馬神圖像的器物。

　In the centre of the top part of this gold medallion is the head of an ox. On each side of the ox's horns are creatures with curved bodies holding their heads up high. Below the ox's head, in the centre of the medallion, are two prone horses facing each other. On both sides of the horses are creatures that are also facing each other.

　Deities of an ancient religion of certain Indo-European peoples, the twin horses were commonly venerated by the nomads of the Tochari linguistic family. The Dayuezhi people, who spoke a dialect of the Tochari language, dominated the grasslands of northern China from the pre-Qin period to the early Western Han dynasty. Influenced by these Tochari speakers, implements featuring the twin horses appeared in the state of Yan in northern China.　■資料：香港歷史博物館