Among the cultural relics in China, there is a kind of weapon with the earliest appearance, the most use, the strongest power and the longest duration. It has always accompanied the history of China, and is closely related to politics, military affairs, economy and culture of each era. The history of China weapons can be traced back to Beijingers who ran 500,000 years ago. At that time, they had used stone tools with blades. In the Neolithic Age, weapons such as stone knives, guns, Shi Mao, stone ge and stone clock appeared.
Slave society can be said to have entered the real age of weapons. Due to the emergence of class opposition and the relative development of bronze industry, bronze weapons came into being. During this period, various weapons such as bronze swords, halberds, spears, cymbals and swords appeared. Most of these bronze weapons found so far are from the Western Zhou Dynasty. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, due to the continuous development of iron smelting industry, iron weapons began to appear. By the Han Dynasty, the forging technology of iron weapons had been obviously improved, and all kinds of weapons became harder and sharper, and maintained good toughness. There are many kinds of weapons in the Tang dynasty, and the production technology is excellent, and the overall shape of weapons has been greatly improved. Some special weapons appeared in the Song Dynasty, such as flying hooks shaped like iron anchors. Large weapons such as copper spears were used in the Yuan Dynasty war. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, guns, bows and arrows, spears, broadswords and other weapons were used alternately, which exerted great power on the battlefield. Gansu has a long history and is a famous ancient battlefield in ancient times. From the Neolithic Age to the later dynasties, there were many kinds of weapons in Gansu, and now we should introduce them in different categories.
knife
But it was originally used as a tool for labor, and later became a weapon for self-defense. The first bronze weapon in China, recognized by the archaeological community, is a bronze dagger found at Majiayao site in Gansu Province, about 5,000 years ago. A bronze knife with a length of 18.9 cm and a sharp blade was unearthed in the remnant land of Le Kang, Gansu. A bronze dagger with a head handle unearthed in Qijiaping, Guanghe County, is 14.6 cm long, about 4000 years ago. Carving a face on the hilt, with simple artistic style, can be said to be the leader of early ancient weapons in China.
halberd
It first appeared in the Yin and Shang Dynasties, and it is a very lethal weapon. It is a new weapon with spear as the main body and combining the advantages of Ge. It has both a straight blade and a horizontal blade, which is cross-shaped or pointed, and has many uses, such as cutting hooks, pecking and stabbing. During the Western Zhou Dynasty, the shapes of bronze halberds increased, and the level of production technology was obviously improved. A bronze halberd unearthed from the Western Zhou Dynasty tomb in Baicaopo, Lingtai County, Gansu Province, is an exquisite bronze halberd found in China, with a total length of 23.3 cm. The halberd is engraved with a head with a high nose and deep eyes and long hair, which may be the image of a minority living in southwest Guizhou at that time; The aid base is decorated with a embossed bull's head, and the bronze helmet is a rare special weapon. Put the alien head on the top of the weapon to show off its power.
dagger-axe
Known as "China Patent Weapon", it is a long weapon. Ge has a long history. As early as the ancient stone age, human ancestors began to grind stones. Ge is one of the most common weapons in Shang and Zhou Dynasties. In ancient times, it was called hook soldier, which was a weapon used to kill. It has obvious advantages, especially in the ancient battlefield dominated by driving chariots. Ge is the best weapon. Ancient warriors showed great fighting power when they stood in the car or got off the car to fight against enemy chariots.
1977165438+10, a well-preserved jade ge of Shang dynasty was found in Qingyang, Gansu province, with a length of 38.6 cm, a triangle shape, a slight downward bend and a sharp front end. The inner side (for installing the handle) is decorated with animal face lines and ring lines; The word "ZhaWu Ce" is vertically engraved in the middle of the front of the handle. Its shape, size and style are similar to the fishing songs unearthed from Muhao Tomb in Yin Ruins. The font on the grid is close to the first phase of Oracle Bone Inscriptions in Yinxu (Wuding), and the time is similar. The jade pavilion with such an inscription is rare in other parts of the country. During the Western Zhou Dynasty, a large number of children's songs began to appear.
During 1972, more than 300 weapons were unearthed from the Western Zhou Tomb in Baicaopo, Lingtai County, Gansu Province, including 23 bronze Ge, which was more advanced than Yuge and became an important weapon with multiple functions. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, with the gradual improvement of armor hardness used for defense, vehicle warfare was increasingly replaced by infantry warfare and cavalry warfare, making Ge, which was originally extremely suitable for vehicle warfare, useless and finally had to be replaced by new weapons. After the Western Han Dynasty, Ge almost disappeared on the battlefield. However, due to its unique majestic appearance, Ge has been used as a ceremonial weapon and ornament in the hands of ceremonial soldiers and gatekeepers for a long time. Even today, it seems that people can still see Ge's figure in words such as "fighting a war" and "turning hostilities into friendship".
bow and arrow
It is one of the oldest ejection weapons. It looks simple, but it has great power. As early as 30 thousand years ago, humans began to make bows and arrows. 1963, archaeologists excavated a late Paleolithic stone arrow in Zhiyu Village, Shuoxian County, Shanxi Province, which was 2.8 cm long and made of thin flint with fine processing and sharp edges. According to radiocarbon dating, this stone has a history of about 28,000 years. The arrow is actually an arrow mounted on the arrow. Bow and arrow is an important invention of ancient humans, which is of great significance to primitive peoples who mainly hunt and raise livestock. Can effectively resist wild animals and get more prey. After entering the Neolithic Age, bows and arrows had a great begging. The simple single bow has been developed into a compound bow, adding a harder and sharper bone hammer and a grindstone hammer, thus enhancing the penetration and lethality of the arrow. In Shang dynasty, a combined bow drilled with more than two layers of materials appeared, which greatly extended the arrow and range. Bows and arrows have become the main weapons in car wars in Shang and Zhou Dynasties. At that time, there were three warriors on each chariot, and the main commander was on the left, specializing in archery; Another soldier is on the right, fuck him; The charioteer is in the middle, driving. According to Kao Gong Ji, the national military department of the Zhou Dynasty had a special organization responsible for the production and sale of bows and arrows. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, bows and arrows were widely used and listed as the first weapon. The sons of nobles and men generally began to learn archery at an early age. As a skill, shooting has become one of the "six arts" that doctors must be familiar with. It is not only listed as a kind of etiquette in the monarch's alliance and banquet, but also used as a kind of etiquette in folk customs. Bronze arrowheads were found in the Western Zhou tombs in Baicaopo, Lingtai, Gansu. Two bronze bows and arrows from the Warring States Period were unearthed in Qingyang area. Bronze bows and arrows of the Han Dynasty were also found in Hexi area. After the Han Dynasty, in the Yuan Dynasty, bows and arrows became the main combat weapons of the army. Mongolian soldiers are famous for their good use of bows and arrows. "A generation of tianjiao, Genghis Khan saw the bow and shot the eagle." It is a true portrayal of Mongolian soldiers galloping on the battlefield.
sword
An ancient weapon that people like very much, many young people even use "sword" as their name. Compared with other weapons, the sword appeared later. There were no swords in primitive society. About the heyday of bronze weapons, a double-edged weapon that can be stabbed and chopped evolved from spearheads and daggers. This double-edged weapon is the originator of swords. Compared with other weapons, the sword body is slender, with blades on both sides, and it gathers forward to form a sharp edge, and the short handle at the back end can be grasped; Blade and front are the effective killing parts of the sword. The hollow copper sheath dagger of the Western Zhou Dynasty unearthed in Baicaopo, Lingtai, Gansu Province is unique. The length of the sword is 23.5cm, and the length of the sheath is 18.4cm. A flat snake pattern is carved in the middle of the scabbard, and a pair of rhinoceros patterns are decorated on both sides of the scabbard. The well-carved scabbard makes the dagger inside look particularly precious. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, light and sharp swords were quickly attached importance to and developed in various places, and many famous swords handed down from generation to generation appeared, such as Fu Cha sword of the King of Wu and Gou Jian sword of the King of Yue. These bronze swords of the Warring States period were unearthed in the tombs of Wushan, Tianshui and Lixian in our province. In particular, the bronze sword unearthed from Dabaozi Mountain in Lixian County is exquisitely made. During this period, the shape of the sword has also changed greatly, from willow to ridge, and the length of the sword body has gradually increased, thus greatly improving the lethality of the sword.
Words used for names.
Special weapons are symbols of military power and national sovereignty. Shicheng appeared in China as early as ancient times. In "Shi Pin Shang Qing", it is written: "Wu Wang Zaizhong." Cheng evolved from an axe. In hieroglyphics, the word "Wang" comes from the early shape. Shicheng was often used as a torture device, and this habit has been passed down to the Han Dynasty. In ancient times, tribal leaders always took their journeys with them to show their authority when they participated in major activities such as sacrifices and parties. During the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, Cheng played an important role as a ritual vessel, and the general's acceptance of Cheng meant granting him military command and seal. A tiger-patterned bronze cymbal unearthed from the Western Zhou Tomb in Baicaopo, Lingtai County, Gansu Province, is 23cm long, 6cm wide and weighs 685g. The whole is like a half-ring, and its shape is an arc moon. The shovel body is cast in the shape of a crouching tiger, with the back of the tiger as the blade, and the head of the tiger has a spear and a transverse perforation. The embossed tiger pattern on the adult body looks like a rolling back, with its mouth open, teeth exposed, and a stick in its mouth, facing the west wind. The word "Wang" is engraved on the bridge of the tiger's nose. This weapon has a unique shape and a unique pattern. Compared with other weapons, its copper color is also different, white and bright. It is the token for the upper slave owners to exercise military, political and judicial power. Sharp and gorgeous, it is the crown of all weapons. According to "Long Shangji"