The Evolution Of The Stirrup

In order to make the study as objective as possible, we collected stirrups that had been scientifically excavated or had accurate unearthed sites as much as possible, and referred to relevant sculptures and murals. A total of 188 specimens were selected, most of which were real stirrups. Due to the scarcity of physical specimens in individual areas, we also chose stirrups in some sculptures and murals as supplementary information. The dates of the specimens we selected are mainly from the 4th to 9th centuries. After the 10th century, stirrup styles tended to be unified, and only representative specimens of this period were selected to illustrate the complete process of stirrup development and evolution.
Although there are many styles of horse pins, it is not difficult to find that the difference between stirrups is mainly in the suspension part. According to the characteristics of the suspension part, a wide variety of stirrups can be classified into four types, namely, straight shank cross stirrups, pot stirrups, T-shank metal stirrups and figure-eight stirrups. These four types are not only interrelated, but also have distinct regional characteristics.