Terracotta Army Museum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang

Author: Li Shuping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-01-01
Features: Ancient weapons evolved from ancient production tools. Engels once said: "What were the earliest tools? They were hunting tools and fishing tools, and the former were also weapons"(Dialectics of Nature). In ancient times, humans used stone tools to throw and cut meat. Later, they invented bows and arrows. In the late Stone Age site of Ziyu Village, Shuoxian County, Shanxi Province, two-eight thousand-year-old bows and arrows were discovered, made of stone tips. As productivity developed, weapons diverged from production tools and developed their own independent process. Ancient Chinese literature mentions that Guyou was the first to invent five types of weapons: the go, the spear, the zhang, the ji, and the bei. The weapons found in the Qin Dynasty's Terracotta Army pits were far more than five, numbering over ten types. If classified by type, weapons include long weapons, short weapons, long-range weapons, and ceremonial weapons. Long-range weapons include bows, crossbows, and arrows, while ceremonial weapons include the chi and the xing. Long weapons include the go, the spear, the ji, and the bei, while short weapons include swords, the Wu hook (curved knives), etc. These were all bronze-made practical weapons. Recently, a small number of iron swords and iron-shafted bronze-headed arrows have also been discovered. An iron-shafted bronze-headed arrow refers to an arrowhead made of bronze, with a small iron shaft attached to the back of the arrowhead. A sword is the kind of sword commonly referred to as a treasure sword. The go is a weapon with a curved head and double-edged blades, suitable for hooking inwards and blocking outwards, with a shaft over 5 meters long. The ji is a long weapon with a curved head and a handle. The Terracotta Army pits contained mostly arrows, about 7 centimeters long. There were also crossbows, with bronze mechanisms, sights (aiming devices), and triggers (suspended blades for firing). The shu is a ceremonial weapon with a cylindrical shape and a three-pronged conical tip, capable of both striking and piercing. The shu and the yue were both ceremonial weapons, symbols of authority. Ancient ceremonial weapons came in two types: one was used for ceremonial purposes, such as the zhang, as mentioned in the poem "Bo Xi" in the Book of Songs: "Bo also held the zhang, leading the king forward." The No. 3 pit of the Terracotta Army was the command center. The 30 bronze zhangs were unearthed here. Warriors held them on both sides to enhance the solemnity of the command center. The other type of ceremonial weapon was the yue, a symbol of military authority. In ancient times, when selecting generals, a ceremony was held in the grand temple to present the main general with the yue. The general holding the yue to receive the order symbolized the authority to execute. The weapon equipment in the No. 1 pit of the Terracotta Army was mainly bows and crossbows for the vanguard, flanks, and rear guard. The vanguard's front and rear ranks were also equipped with curved knives. In the main force, there were go, spears, swords, ji, and bows. In the No. 2 pit, the infantry square at the front was composed of archers, the middle was filled with warriors kneeling to shoot arrows, and the surrounding areas were filled with warriors standing to shoot arrows. The weapon configuration of the Terracotta Army pits aligns with what is said in ancient Chinese military texts: strong bows in the front, sharp go behind, long weapons to defend short weapons, and short weapons to rescue long weapons. During combat, archers took turns shooting to suppress the enemy with overwhelming "firepower" before launching an attack. During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, due to frequent warfare, all the feudal states meticulously studied weapon production. A story illustrates this point: During the reign of King Hui of Wu, there was a man named Gan Jiang, famous for making swords. He forged two swords: one called Gan Jiang and the other called Mo Ye. When forging the swords, he selected the best iron from various mountains and combined it with different metals, but the swords still didn't turn out well. His wife, Mo Ye, said that some human effort was still needed.