This is the third article that I have translated from the book, the People of Bronze (il Popolo di bronzo in Italian), which marvelously describes the styles of the Nuraghic men, who lived more than 4,000 years ago in Sardinia. For more information on the author, please refer to Part I and Part II:Armored Archer from Usellus
This little statuette represents the magnificent level attained by the Nuraghic artists in their sculptural work of descriptive reproductions and shows the evolution of warrior armament right to the minimal details.
Unfortunately the little statue had been already disappeared by the time Giovanni Lilliu described it in his beautiful book, Sculptures of Nuraghic Sardegna, 1966.
The clothing worn by this archer recalls that of the Chinese warriors of the Emperor Qin Shi, 3rd century BC (Xi An, China), depicted in the famous “terracotta army,” as well as the fabulous armament of the Japanese samurai. The helmet is a conical type, presenting a very high and elaborate rim with a lower part of spiral work and an upper part that is bound to metal studs. In back, the head armor presents a decoration of herringbone, while the braids fall in front.
The peculiarity of this helmet is the small fox or weasel head, which is placed in front just under the plume. The statuesque figure represents the type of animal force that is incarnated in a warrior: the fox representing astuteness and the weasel—speed. It not merely recalls the depiction of the Egyptian god Anubis but moreover the description of the archer Dolon, a character of the Iliad (Book X), who wears “a helmet of a weasel”!
Ours is wearing a long overcoat that covers the body, almost down to the knees; the upper part seems to be elaborated with reinforced metal plates, which shield also as short sleeves. He is wearing a large defensive plate that hangs from a Y-shape harness, similar to that of No. 38, which is finely decorated and extends to the rear where it supports a cone-like case, a quiver, and launching cane.
The legs are protected from knee to ankle by finely made shin guards, which are composed of a reinforced tibial finishing with tassels on the top and a snug-fitting structure that seems to be made of strips of intertwined leather.
In back, ligatures create extra space to alleviate the complex structure and allow for easy bending of the limbs. The feet are bare. His right hand is clenching an object, which has disappeared but could be a weapon—perhaps a javelin?
As for the left arm, it is protected by a wonderful example of an armored glove (similar to those of the samurai), which, on the back of the hand, bears protective metal washers. The rest of the limb shows a reinforced splint and a long elbow guard, both of which are connected to the sleeve of his jacket with leather straps. The weapon that he is clenching is a long, simple bow.
Particularly curious is the object that is strapped across the shoulder, which can be seen in part from under the arm. They look like two tubes of equal length with some metal fittings. What could it be?Given the position that allows a rapid extraction, maybe it was a quiver with a reserve of arrows... or it could be a tool disassembled into two pieces to reassemble when the need arises, such as with a javelin or a spear? Unfortunately, one can only dream since the precious and unique figurine has disappeared. It would be useful, given its immense historical value, to inquire into its whereabouts.
Photos & text Copyright Angela Demontis 2005, used with permission.
