Chinese Borrowings in Hunnu Costumes (Sleeveless Shirt from the 20th Noin-Ula Mound)

Abstract

Throughout the ages, the attire of the nobility always differed from the costume of a commoner. This statement is also true for the costume of the noble Huns, known from the finds in the Noin-Ulin mounds (late I century BC – early I century AD, Northern Mongolia, excavations of the P. K. Kozlov expedition, 1924–1925 and excavations of the Russian-Mongolian expedition 2006–2012). In the burials of the Hunnish aristocracy, real items of clothing were found – silk robes trimmed with sable fur, woolen trousers, silk and woolen leggings, hats, pelerinas, fragments of caftans. The main part of the Hunnu closet known, but far from complete, consists of items sewn from Chinese silk, adapted to the harsh conditions of Northern Mongolia and the way of life of nomadic horsemen. The sleeveless silk shirt discovered in the 20th Noin-Ulin mound can be attributed to unconditional Chinese items, the analogs of which are known from finds in female burials in Xinjiang and Gansu of the Jin era. In the 20 Noin-Ula mound, a woman accompanying a noble rider was also buried in such attire. In the Han era, such sleeveless shirts were exclusively used as women’s undergarments. That is probably why there are no images of them, but there is a mention in the “Clothing” section of the Han era dictionary “Shiming” compiled by Liu Xi, and the findings of real items, among which the sleeveless shirt from the Noin-Ulin mound is the oldest. Having appeared, most likely, in the Han era, silk sleeveless shirts became widespread for both men and women in the Jin era. The tendency of Asian nomads to borrow from China, including items of clothing, was the reason why such sleeveless shirts became part of the Mongolian national costume and are still popular today.