Witness to China's Qin Terracotta Warrior Army>> Bronze Weapons of Qin Terracotta Warrior Statues

 

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Bronze Weapons of Qin Terracotta Warrior Statues

 

The Qin Terracotta Warrior statues were originally each armed with a real bronze weapon to portray the image of a menacing guard for the dead emperor but some of these were seized by an army of a general during his riot, leaving the Qin terracotta warrior statues empty handed.

Yet, there were still tens of thousands of weapons have been unearthed from the partly excavated pits. They can be classified into Melee Weapons (for close combat), Ranged Weapons (long-range attack) and Ceremonial Weapons.

Melee weapons include spears, barbed spears, daggers, swords, axes and so on. Ranged weapons mainly consist of crossbows and arrows. Both are found in Pit No.1 and No.2, in which warriors are placed in battle formation. Whereas 'Shu', a kind of ceremonial weapons without blades were only found in Pit No.3, reputedly the headquarter of the entire Terracotta Army.

 

Some of the Melee Weapons and the Ceremonial Weapon Found in Qin Terracotta Warrior Army Pits.
(Long Wooden Shafts Was Renovated Since the Originals Have Decayed)

 

Above Photo:

1. Long Spear: Found near the chariot remains in the pits. It could have been used by chariot mounted soldier guarding the chariot.
2. Lance: Looking like a short sword or dagger, such kind of weapon in the Chinese name 'Pi' (pronounced as 'pea') was first clarified.
3. Mace: In the Chinese name of 'Shu' (pronounced as 'shoe'). The only kind of weapon found in the Pit No.3. Believed to be almost useless in the combat, they have blunt tops and was held by the commander's ceremonial guards.
4.Dagger-Axe: Widely found in the infantry units. Such weapons could be commonly equipped for infantry soldiers to hook cavalrymen down from their horses.

 

The Model of the Ancient Crossbow from the Remains in Pit No.2

Arrows Found in the Terracotta Warrior Army Pits

 

All Qin weapons were exquisitely made and enjoyed the high standard of metallurgical technology and weapon making technique.

Some bronze weapons when unearthed still glitters in metallic luster without being rusty. Modern technical analyse reveals that these weapons, made of an alloy of copper, tin and other ten rare metals are coated with a thin layer of oxidized chromium, though for modern people, the technology of chromate coating was invented by a German as late as in 1930’s and since then began to employ.

 

Terracotta Warrior Double-Edged Sword, When Unearthed 2200 Years Latter Still Glitters in Metallic Luster. It Was Said Sharp Enough to Cut Through 20 Pieces of Paper Put Together.

 

Some weapons were found strictly symmetrical and standardized. For example, there discovered hundreds of crossbow triggers whose bolts and suspending knives can be used interchangeably, with a tolerance error of 1 millimeter. All these are still mysterious for the ancient Chinese crafts people without assisting any modern tools.

 

Triggers with Standardized and Interchangeable Parts, the Earliest Standardization in the World

 

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