Bronze swords and weapons of Qin terracotta warriors and horses

At present, 24 bronze swords have been unearthed in the pit of Qin figurines. They have been buried in wet pits for more than 2000 years, and they are still intact when unearthed.

Scientific appraisal shows that its alloy ratio is very scientific, and it is copper-tin alloy, with copper accounting for 76.39%, tin accounting for 2 1.38% and other 13 trace elements, which is equivalent to the hardness of medium carbon steel after tempering. Moreover, its surface has been oxidized by chromium salt, so it has the characteristics of hard and sharp.

Its length is between 8 1 and 94.4 cm. Compared with bronze swords in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, these swords are willow-shaped. The Qin dynasty used long weapons, which can be confirmed by the well-known story that Jing Ke stabbed the king of Qin.

In 227 BC, Yan Wang Dan sent Jing Ke to stab the king of Qin. The king of Qin was frightened. In a panic, he couldn't pull out his sword. I heard someone shouting, "Wang negative sword!" The king of Qin suddenly realized that he drew a sword from behind and stabbed Jing Ke.

It developed from the initial 30 cm to more than 80 cm, showing improvement.

In addition, the bronze sword in the pit of Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses has an unobtrusive feature, which is slightly narrowed at a distance of 6 cm from its front. This phenomenon is called "waist girding" in technical terms. This is a great progress in the development of weapons in the Qin Dynasty.

From the use, it can be divided into two types: sabre and weapon. Sabre is not only a courtesy, but also a status symbol.

During the Warring States period, nobles attached great importance to swords, and during Qu Yuan's exile, he also lamented that "swords are far from home".

In 409 BC, the State of Qin allowed officials to wear swords, and the next year allowed members of the ruling party to wear swords, one for self-defense and the other for showing dignity.

The main function of the sword is fighting and defending. Sword was first used in the northwest of China. During the Spring and Autumn Period, the sword casting level in South Vietnam was very high. The famous Wang Wuguang Sword, Wu Wang Fu Tea Sword and Betty Wong Gou Jian Peijun are among them.

From the late Warring States to the Qin Dynasty, the casting technology of bronze swords developed rapidly, and the excavation in the pit of Qin figurines was an example. Li He, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, described it like this in the poem "The King of Qin drinks": "The King of Qin rode a tiger to swim the eight poles, and the sword was shining to the sky. xi He knocked on the sun glass and robbed the ground."