Chinese archaeologists have unearthed a sword which is more than 2300 years old from Zhou Dynasty era, in an ancient tomb in Xinyang city, central China’s Henan Province.
This sword is thought to belong to the time of Warring States, which was a period of 250 years between 475 BCE and 221 BCE which saw numerous wars fought between the eight states of the Zhou Dynasty.
Ancient historical records on the casting of wares indicate that there different proportions of three metals in usage – lead, tin and copper – to make the alloy Bronze.
Amazing fact is that, this weapon looks sharp and is still shimmering as an archaeologist pulls it from its very old sheath.
This alloy is used to make swords and other weapons on varying temper and rigidity.
These eight states had frequent and brutal wars; Some kings were fighting to survive or retain power, and some wanted more power and territory.
The Qin rulers generally wanted to conquer all the others and finally, they did it in 221 BCE.
The Qin rulers conquered all the other states and some surrounding regions.
However, their dynastic rule from 221-206 BCE was the shortest in the region’s history. Their empire fell apart after only 15 years.
According to Chinese mythology, the Zhou Dynasty lineage began when Jiang Yuan, a consort of the legendary Emperor Ku, miraculously conceived a child, Qi “the Abandoned One“, after stepping into the divine footprint of Shangdi.
Qi was a culture hero credited with surviving three abandonments by his mother and with greatly improving Xia agriculture, to the point where he was granted lordship over Tai and the surname Ji by his own Xia king and a later posthumous name, Houji “Lord of Millet“, by the Tang of Shang.
He even received sacrifice as a harvest god.
The term Hòujì was probably an hereditary title attached to a lineage.
