ESHS/HSS Annual Meeting

Discussion and Reflection on Traces (靷绳Yin) in China and Italy

• In Event: The Evolution of Science and Technology in China: Tradition and Modernity in a Global Perspective 1

English Abstract

Based on archaeological and iconographic evidence for the trace (靷绳Yin) in both China and Italy, this paper offers a systematic comparison of the form, structural position, and function of the trace, and re-examines its theoretical status within the narrative of an indigenous Chinese origin of the chariot. Drawing on transmitted texts, bronze inscriptions, chariot-and-horse pits, and models, it first clarifies the conceptual connotations and structural characteristics of trace in the Chinese context, and conducts a comparative analysis with the traces and yoke braces from Italy. The comparison shows that early yoke braces and the Chinese traces are highly similar in both morphology and function, indicating that the trace is not a strictly China-exclusive component. The Chinese trace system tends toward functional integration, whereas the Italian system emphasizes the differentiation of individual elements. On this basis, the paper critically examines the logical problems involved in using the supposed “advancement” of the Chinese trace to support an independent-origin thesis, and proposes some methodological reflections on the nomenclature and classification of harness systems in China and the West. It argues that, rather than becoming entangled in questions of priority and origin, it is more fruitful to investigate how traces and harness systems were adapted and transformed within different socio-cultural and technical contexts, thereby revealing the mechanisms underlying the development of ancient vehicle technologies in China and Italy.

Author

• Moxuan Zhou, Institute for the History of Natural Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences