This cast bronze ram's head was once attached to a chariot post, secured by attachments passing through the four holes visible near the fixture's socket opening. An early third century date was determined by comparing this piece to another very similar chariot filial found near Xian, which was marked with the inscription "21st year of Qin Shi Huang's reign" (226 BCE). The discovery of ornamentation for chariots such as this filial confirms contemporaneous Zhou and Qin records that describe "the chariots of the Hu people" that were used by the Hu in warfare.

Some scholars use commonalities such as the appearance of rams in the art of both East and West Asian nomadic cultures to suggest a common ethic origin. The similarities can certainly be striking, such as that seen between this Hu filial and an ancient Iranian ram's head drinking vessel from the collection of the Seattle Art Museum. Another Persian drinking cup from the Hermitage collection dating to the fifth or fourth century BCE is even closer in appearance to this Hu chariot ornament. Yet if no direct connection can be proved, such similarities may instead point to an exchange of material goods, with objects changing hands from one long-ranging nomadic people to another, either through long distance trade or raids.