铁鋋   Han Dynasty Spear Head

Period: 202 BC - 220 DC  Overall Length: 17" Blade: 13"
In the development of arms, Han Dynasty represents an important era in which bronze arms were replaced by iron arms. Spears with swords have become the dominant attacking arms of cavalry and infantry. Although they kept the original shape and form of swords of the bonze era, the spears are characterized by their length. In comparison, this Han's spear is longer(17" overall and 13" the blade) and slimmer (5/8") than most spears of subsequent eras.

The long spear of Han Dynasty has thicker blade head and thicker blade end with thinner middle section. Because of the length and the material used, the long spear always has good elasticity than swords and short spears. This spear has a feature of a sword with both edges sharpened. The handle of the spear was made of iron and warped by two layers of bronze sheet to give an easy and comfortable handling. The first layer warps the entire handle whereas the second layer covers only the top one-third and has fine sculptures. The details of the sculptures, however, could not be identified.

This long spear of Han Dynasty is considered to be well preserved through the long period of burial. The length, the thickness, the form, the shape, and the curvature of the blade are all in excellent original condition. It is rare (Photos 1 - 8 )

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                              The pictures shown below was on the book of <Chinese Ancient Weapon's Picture Explanation> Page 146.