Qin Jian
Qin Jian
The most fascinating bronze weapon unearthed in pits 1 and 2 of the terracotta warriors and horses of the first emperor of Qin Dynasty is the sharp and tough bronze sword of Qin Dynasty. The Qin sword with willow leaf shaped body is thin, long and sharp, with a length of 81-94.8 cm, which is far more than that of other kingdoms in the Warring States period (the length is generally 50-65 cm).
Qin Jian Technology
In 1994, another batch of bronze swords were found in Pit 2 of the terracotta warriors and horses of the first emperor of Qin Dynasty. The length of the swords is 86 cm, and there are eight edges on the swords. Using vernier calipers, archaeologists found that the errors of the eight edges were less than one hair. 19 bronze swords have been unearthed, which is the case with swords. These bronze swords are compact in structure, bright and smooth in body, fine in grinding grain on the blade, and no crisscross in texture. They have been sleeping under the Loess for more than 2200 years, and they are still as bright and sharp as new when unearthed. After testing, the researchers found that there was a layer of chromium salt compound 10 microns thick on the surface of the sword. This discovery immediately caused a sensation in the world, because this "chromate oxidation" treatment method was an advanced process that appeared only in modern times. It was invented in Germany in 1937 and applied for a patent in the United States in 1950. In fact, as early as the spring and Autumn period and the Warring States period, the Chinese had mastered this advanced craft.
The development of Qin Jian
Looking back on the development of the Central Plains copper sword, the body of the sword has been constantly lengthening. At the beginning of the Warring States period, the length of swords was only 20-30 cm. By the spring and Autumn period and the Warring States period, the length of swords generally reached about 50-60 cm. In the late Warring States period, some swords were more than 70 cm, and the longest swords were 75-76 cm. In the Qin Dynasty, the length of swords in Guanzhong was more than 80 cm, and the longest swords were nearly 95 cm.
In combat, the primary function of bronze sword is to assassinate the enemy and penetrate the armor of the enemy, while chopping and pulling are only auxiliary functions. Qin Jian, which is nearly 30 cm longer than the opponent's sword, is obviously easier to stab the opponent in combat, which is probably the main reason for the lengthening of Qin Jian. However, this is a bronze sword after all. How did the people of Qin make the sword not easy to break?
The key to casting swords in bronze age is how much tin is added to copper during smelting. With less tin, the sword is too soft; with more tin, the sword is hard but easy to break. The chemical quantitative analysis of Qin Jian shows that the ratio of copper and tin makes the hardness and toughness of the bronze sword perfectly combined. As the last peak of bronze sword casting technology, the length, hardness and toughness of Qin sword have reached almost perfect combination, and the attack performance has been greatly increased. The surface tin content of Qin Jian is as high as 30%, but the internal tin content is about 20%. The content of modern tin bronze is 3% - 14%, which makes the hardness of Qin Jian lead the world. The hardness is equivalent to medium carbon steel, and the toughness is equivalent to a piece of glass made by modern technology
Yuan Zhongyi, the first leader of the Qinling archaeological team, once said: we sent the Qinling sword to the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, China Academy of non ferrous metals, Shanghai smelter and other units for laser microspectrum, electron probe, X-ray fluorescence detection and chemical quantitative analysis. It was found that there was a dense chromite oxidation screen on the surface of the sword, which was about 10 microns thick, equivalent to one tenth of the thickness of a newspaper The chromium content is 0.6% to 2%. It is with this layer of gray chromium protective layer that it plays a strong role in anti rust and corrosion resistance. This is a step higher than the corrosion resistance of Wu and Yue swords treated by sulfuration.
The Qin Style Copper sword is not only long, but also sharp. When some swords were unearthed, they were as clean as new, with sharp edges. The test shows that 18 layers of paper can be cut through at one time. The surface of these swords is grayish yellow with fine organization and no trachoma. Moreover, the surface of the sword body is finely filed and polished, so it is extremely smooth and bright.
The body of Qin sword is very strong, and its stem (handle) is relatively long. Most of the bronze swords unearthed from pits 1 and 2 of the terracotta warriors of the Qin Dynasty have stems about 17-20 cm long. According to the length, weight and practical function of Qin Jian, it can be inferred that most of Qin Jian are used with two hands (two hands sword can be used with one hand sometimes); a few with shorter stems may be used with one hand.
Chinese PinYin : Qin Jian
Qin Jian
