Advancements in Bronze - Weapons of the Qin Empire

The terracotta warriors, discovered relatively recently in the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, not only offered an incredible spectacle of craftsmanship - they also gave a descriptive insight into the types of weapons used by the army of the Qin Dynasty. The Qin terracotta warriors originally all carried functional weapons in the pits, such as swords (剑), spears (矛), lances (铍), dagger-axes （戈）, halberds (戟), hooks (钩), ceremonial weapons (殳), and crossbows. Within the 2,000 square meters so far excavated in Pit 1, for instance, 280 bundles of arrows (each containing approximately 100) and a further 10,895 individual arrows have been discovered. In addition to these, almost 500 other weapons were unearthed. Apart from four iron pieces, all weapons were cast of bronze, and some of the blades are still razor sharp.

Divide up the Weapons, and Conquer

These bronze weapons fall into three categories: short weapons, such as daggers and swords used in close combat, long handle arms, including spears, lances, daggers, and halberds, and crossbows and arrows, being used for long distance fights. 

The weapons arrangement in the pit related to the battle formation of the Qin Dynasty. Generally speaking, the crossbows carried by archers were displayed in the front line or the flanks. The charioteers would have wielded the long handle weapons, and those warriors placed in the middle of the formation carried short weapons, although there could be some variations and more flexible.  Some of the warriors in the formation were equipped with both crossbows and swords.

Swords are generally associated with relatively high status figures, such as generals and officers. One general is seen pressing two hands on a sword, and elsewhere an officer wields a sword in his left hand. The charioteer who drives the miniature bronze Chariot 1 also carries his sword, this time on his back.

Time to Reload

Crossbows had the disadvantage of taking a long time to load with arrows, but the crossbowmen would have been trained to act in unison to  compensate for this. While the front line was firing together, the line behind would be loading their arrows. Once the front line had fired, the second line would move forward to replace them. This kind of manoeuvre seems to be what is represented in Pit 2, and the kneeling and standing archers would have been switched to release the arrows to the enemy.

The lock mechanism of the crossbows is ingeniously devised.  After the archer discharged his arrows, he brought the lock back into the original position by quickly jerking the bow backward. This would have given the Qin formation speed and mobility with great force and penetrating power in longer distance. However, these crossbows appear to have been manipulated by hand and therefore can not have been as powerful as they became in Han and later times.
 
Hard Sums

Weapons were made of bronze and copper alloys according to the demands of the particular armament. Ancient craftspeople consciously regulated the proportions of the three main ingredients of bronze - copper, tin and lead - for casting different weapons. The hardness of bronze increases with the addition of tin, but an excessive quantity of tin will cause bronze to become brittle. The craftspeople of Qin Dynasty had a clear understanding of changes in the physical properties of bronze depending upon its tin content. The ancients believe that both copper and tin were soft metals, and that the combination of these would form a hard alloy.

The sword is one of the most noteworthy bronze weapons. As slender as a willow leaf, it measures 90 centimetres in length and still possesses a keen cutting edge. It is thinner and longer than swords made in the Warring States Period, and gave the swordsman greater thrusting power. The bronze swords have a higher percentage of tin (21.3%) than other bronze pieces from the era, making it as hard as temporal carbon steel. Such bronze swords also underwent the anti-rust process, and are still retain their shining lustre to this day.

Reading Between the Blades
                                                                                                                                                                           
Some weapons have long inscriptions that provide information about supervisors, officials, craftspeople, workers, and the year when the weapons were produced. Some other weapons only have a simple inscription such as numbers or the name of the main workshop, Sigong. The inscription on one lance reads: "17th year (230BC), government Workshop, produced by master Yu, worker Diao."

The characters for "Government Workshop" (Sigong) occur once more on the other side of the lance. The Sigong workshop produced not only weapons but also carriages and utensils for everyday use. Their products are among the first in China on which an individual inscribed his name. These inscriptions had one purpose which is quality control.                         

The inscriptions bearing chronological information show that these bronze weapons were mostly made before the Qin unification during the period when seven kingdoms existed in China - in a constant state of war. These kingdoms not only competed against each other in term of the size and organisation of their military forces, but also to produce bronze weapons of sufficient quality and quantity to overpower the others. With its strong military forces and bronze weaponry, it was the Qin state that finally unified China. 

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About The Author

Xiuzhen Janice Li

Last three pieces by this author:

Top Sites at the First Qin Emperor's Tomb Complex | Video of the New Excavation of the Qin Terracotta Warriors | Battle Strategies of the Qin

Xiuzhen Janice Li received her BA in archaeology from Peking University, China and an MA in Field Archaeology from the University College London. She has conducted research and led excavations in pits at the Museum of the Qin Terracotta Warriors Army in Xian, China for almost 20 years.