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Bronze Halberd
Heritage information

◇ Heritage No. :

◇ Collection Name:Bronze Halberd

◇ Historical date:Western Han dynasty

◇ Collection Size:33.5, 53 cm in length

◇ Collection Source:Unearthed from the Tomb of King Chu in Shizi Mountain from 1994 to 1995

Introduction of cultural relics

These two bronze halberds were unearthed in the first side room in the west together with Zun (a kind of wine vessel). The larger-sized halberd aids the upright, with a mid-ridge, a slight arc on the upper blade, and a three-degree arc on the lower blade, forming two sharp points. There are four piercings in the hump, which are knife-shaped inside. The smaller-sized halberd aids the upright, and the lower blade has a sharp point, and a trapezoid is worn near the rail. The bronze halberd and the inner joint are equipped with a gilt bronze cap, with an oval cross-section and a flat top seal. The silk hat is tied with silk, and the silk hat is 12 cm in length. A total of 5 bronze halberds of this shape were unearthed from the Tomb of King Chu in Shizi Mountain, totally 303-330 cm in length.  Because it is shaped like a chicken, it is also called "chicken halberd". In addition, bundles of "" shaped halberds were also unearthed in the same room. At present, bronze halberds of the same shape are only found in the No. 5 funerary pit of the Tomb of King Qi of the Western Han Dynasty in Zibo, Shandong province. The tomb owner is speculated to be the second-generation King Qi Liu Xiang, who died in the 179 BC. Four "chirping halberds" unearthed in this pit have the same size and shape. There were also 141 "" shaped halberds unearthed in the pit, with the same length of  that of the bronze halberd.

This "chicken halberd" is obviously in the middle transition stage of Qin halberd, the bronze halberd and the "" shaped halberd from the perspective of modeling and function. The Qin Dynasty's chariots are one of the main combat forces. This powerful Go and Spear halberd is very suitable for use when the two sides of the enemy and us have different hubs. However, with the decline of the war in the late Qin and early Han Dynasty, the cavalry gradually developed into an independent army. When the cavalry on both sides of the battlefield battled against each other, the halberds of the Go and Spear corps, which were mainly hooked and could not adapt to the needs of war. In this case, the copper halberd with the main thorns was born, so this "chicken halberd" also appeared. With the growth of cavalry and the increasing importance in warfare, there must be more weapons suitable for high-speed galloping horses that can puncture the opponent. The copper halberds have gradually improved, the halberds have become longer, and the stabs have become sharper "" shaped halberd. This development and change of the halberd can be confirmed from archeological findings: the halberds unearthed from the terracotta warriors and pits of the Qin Shihuang are all Ge and spear complexes; the tombs of the King Chu and the tombs of the King Qi of Western Han Dynasty in Zibo, Shandong province. Most of them are "chicken halberd" and"" shaped halberd. The halberds unearthed from the later tomb of Emperor Jing were all "" shaped halberds, and their length became shorter. This kind of transitional "chicken halberd" is currently only found in the early tombs of kings in the early Western Han Dynasty, and the number is relatively small, indicating that it is only an experimental process in the history of the development of ancient wars. The weapon was eventually replaced by a "" shaped halberd that was more suitable for cavalry.