A rein hook,[2] or rein holder is a device used in chariotry. It is designed to hold the reins in place when the driver is away, or his hands are used for something else than driving. It is used to free the rider's hands.[3] It is held in place by a "charioteer's belt".

Chariot rein ring. Iran, Elamite, circa 2600-2400 BCE. LACMA.[1]

Characteristics

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"Narrow-back rein holders" were probably hung to the rider's waist. They worked as rein hooks, attached at the belt, for horse control.[4]

"Broad-back rein holders" were probably fixed at the leading edge of the carriage to hold the reins.[3] They may also have been attached at the belt of the charioter for hands-free control.[5][6]

Rein holders were probably introduced in China circa 1200 BCE, where they first appear at Yinxu, from the Northern Zones, where earlier rein holders are known as far as the Minusinsk basin.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Chariot Rein Ring LACMA Collections". collections.lacma.org.
  2. ^ Rawson, Huan & Taylor 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Yang, Jianhua; Shao, Huiqiu; Pan, Ling (3 January 2020). The Metal Road of the Eastern Eurasian Steppe: The Formation of the Xiongnu Confederation and the Silk Road. Springer Nature. p. 205. ISBN 978-981-329-155-3. a rein-holder used to free the rider's hands
  4. ^ Rawson, Huan & Taylor 2021, "curved hooks thought to have functioned as rein-holders for horse control, hanging from a belt around the stones".
  5. ^ Selby, Stephen (1 January 2000). Chinese Archery. Hong Kong University Press. pp. 88–89. ISBN 978-962-209-501-4.
  6. ^ a b Altuntas, Leman; Kayra, Oguz (21 July 2023). "3,000-year-old 'charioteer belt' discovered in Siberia". Arkeonews.
  7. ^ "Chariot Fitting China". The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
  8. ^ Communications And The Earliest Wheeled Transport of Eurasia. 2012. p. 284.

Sources

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See also

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