Weapons on the whole seem to have been little worn; they certainly do not belong to the ordinary kinds of dress and only v cry seldom do we see any person engaged in peaceful conversation who is armed, one instance being the chief figure on
II B 80
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Awad-Jatakas |
Series IIB |
Plate XV 80 |
3563b.JPG Awad-Jatakas |
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a man who looks like a brahman, seated on a stool and wearing a short broad dagger at his side. They only seem to have weapons when occasion may require, but of coarse the soldiers, palace guards etc. are always armed. The later-Javanese custom when every man of any importance wore a kriss in his belt, seems to be quite strange to the society of Barabugur. The kriss itself, this is noticeable at once, does not appear at all.
If we begin by examining the simple folk in the series on the buried base, we find at once on
O 2
####No Reference found O, 2
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a man with bow and arrow, the arrow having a triangular barbed point and feathers at the top. Then on nos. 4 and 8 there are executioners with large flat swords, the blade of which is slightly curved, becoming wider and ending in a point; further on we see on
Ib 79
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main wall |
Series Ib |
Plate XL 79 |
1197a.JPG main wall |
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the royal executioner using the same kind of sword, only straighter; so it looks as if this is the proper weapon for executions. No. 10 shews an attack with a dagger and on no. 24 there is a fight going on with the same swords as well as a spear, a club and a blow-pipe, the two last, as we see on no. 91, being the usual weapons for small-game hunting. Big game, as will be described later on, was hunted with bow and arrows. The spear is very seldom seen, it is found in the hands of a hellfiend on no. 92. These are the various kinds of weapons in use among the people who appear in these scenes; I may mention that another shape of sword with a long straight blade that we see so frequently on the higher galleries, seems to be much less used by the lower classes than the flat, curved, broad shape. A warrior's dance is being performed on no. 5 by four men, three of whom hold a small round shield in the left hand and in the right a dagger, a curved sword and a spear respectively; the fourth has the same kind of sword and a large square shield,
Turning to the higher classes we find a different scene but not any other sort of weapon. Armed guards and soldiers are to be found on nearly all reliefs in the retinue of kings and persons of importance on their journeys and at the doors of the palace etc., but the weapons are always the same; straight swords, large oval shields, bow and arrows and the I flat curved swords, but the last are much less common than the straight i, shape. The back of the shield is sometimes ornamented with a circle with a square point at the four sides or perhaps only top and bottom, sometimes with nothing but a square. I give a few examples, most from the large distimct scenes on the chief wall of the first gallery, but there are many more to be found, Both kinds of sword are present, separately or together, with and without bow and arrows; the straight with the round shield is seen with a large troop of soldiers on
Ib 10
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main wall |
Series Ib |
Plate V 10 |
1161b.JPG main wall |
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together with bow and arrows
la 32
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Life of Buddha |
Series Ia |
Plate XVI 32 |
2571b.JPG Life of Buddha |
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lb 28
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main wall |
Series Ib |
Plate XIV 28 |
1170b.JPG main wall |
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main wall |
Series Ib |
Plate XIV 28 |
1170b.JPG main wall |
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II B 16
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Awad-Jatakas |
Series IIB |
Plate III 16 |
3537b.JPG Awad-Jatakas |
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; both kinds of sword
la 13
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Life of Buddha |
Series Ia |
Plate VII 13 |
2562a.JPG Life of Buddha |
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the flat swords with round shields and bow and arrows
Ia 39
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Life of Buddha |
Series Ia |
Plate XX 39 |
2575a.JPG Life of Buddha |
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The four-cornered emblems on the shield are seen
la 8, 25
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Life of Buddha |
Series Ia |
Plate IV 8 |
2559b.JPG Life of Buddha |
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Life of Buddha |
Series Ia |
Plate XIII 25 |
2568a.JPG Life of Buddha |
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IBa 14
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balustrade |
Series IBa |
Plate II 14 |
1585.JPG balustrade |
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the two-pointed on
la 19, 22
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Life of Buddha |
Series Ia |
Plate X 19 |
2565a.JPG Life of Buddha |
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Life of Buddha |
Series Ia |
Plate XI 22 |
2566b.JPG Life of Buddha |
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the square, I Ba 254. The arrows are found tied in sheaves
Ia32
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Life of Buddha |
Series Ia |
Plate XVI 32 |
2571b.JPG Life of Buddha |
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lb 33
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main wall |
Series Ib |
Plate XVII 33 |
1173a.JPG main wall |
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main wall |
Series Ib |
Plate XVII 33 |
1173a.JPG main wall |
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or kept in a quiver
lb 37
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main wall |
Series Ib |
Plate XIX 37 |
1175a.JPG main wall |
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main wall |
Series Ib |
Plate XIX 37 |
1175a.JPG main wall |
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; also a closed up quiver such as we see on
lb 76
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main wall |
Series Ib |
Plate XXXVIII 76 |
1195a.JPG main wall |
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main wall |
Series Ib |
Plate XXXVIII 76 |
1195a.JPG main wall |
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may have arrows in it.
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