Fighting against the nomads

[wuma]

Wondering whether this image from the Wikipedia entry for 'fishing reel' has been discussed here (or elsewhere)? According to the entry, it's a photo of a stone tablet from the Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD), located at the Xuzhou Museum in eastern China:



The dominant scene is the Han fight against the nomads, but in the bottom right corner (under the bridge) we find what looks like a reel:



If the image is legit (and the dating accurate) the stone seems significant, and perhaps provides som vindication for Needham's 60-year-old conjecture about the Chinese reel, based on a text that he dates to the 3rd or 4th Century AD.

Link to the Wikipedia page (see top of history section):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fishing_reel

Link to the image licence (Creative Commons), uploaded by 'Augustohai' (in August 2022):
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File ... 800223.jpg

Espen

[Richard Lodge]

I think Jim Schottenham has that exact reel in his sidemount collection, unmarked, of course.

[Nick in NY]

…Think you right!

[kyreels]

Steve Vernon and David Lehmann were authors of this website https://www.orcaonline.org/frhp1/#early-history that also cites "Chinese used reels by the 3rd or 4th century A.D.". They might comment on the original sources for the statements. I don't think the Wikipedia information is the first to assert that.

[Steve]

Needham, Joseph, & Wang Ling, Science & Civilization in China, Volume 4, Physics and Physical Technology, Part II.
Mechanical Engineering. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 1965, pg. 100

[Jim Schottenham]

From the J. Paul Getty Museum, listed as 6th Century, A.D. And no, I don't have that reel!