The TIMELESS Sword of Goujian
Wielding a sword will forever be cooler than wielding a gun, at least for me. To see more and more ancient swords being discovered just intrigues me. It got me questioning how it was made or how many lives has the sword taken. Nobody in this era can ever replicate the intricate design of swords from the past.
The sword of Goujian was believe to be used by Goujian ( well no shit ) the King of Yue where his reign lasted from 496-465 BC. The king led his army over to victory in the huge battle between the kingdom of Yue and kingdom of Wu towards the end of Spring and Autumn period. This was Goujian’s revenge on his rivalry after 10 years from his initial defeat. The sword is known as a Jian which is a double-edged sword, popularly used during the last 2500 years in China.
The discovery of the sword dates back to 1965 when a group of archaeologist started field surveying along the second main aqueduct of the Zhang River Reservoir in Jingzhou, Hubei and eventually expanding its search perimeter. The digging has revealed more than 50 ancient tombs and over 2000 artifacts from the ruins of Jinan, an ancient capital of Chu.
Apparently in one of the tombs was an airtight wooden box or should I say casket, a sword was found in a wooden scabbard lying next to a human skeleton. The team were surprised when they unsheathed the bronze sword and notice it was still pristine despite buried for over 2000 years.
The main question is, whose skeleton does it belong to? The king or a peasant? Damn humans only care about treasures. Anyways the exceptional looking sword is believed to be about 2500 years old, still super sharp enough to cut the archaeologist when he puts his finger on the edge. Any other regular swords would be rusty, dull looking or brittle by now. This fine craftsmanship was incredibly detailed that it surpassed its time period’s technology. It really baffles the researchers and archaeologist on site on what chemical compound preserves the radiance of the sword and how is it still razor sharp after all this years. Imagine if they could forge such high quality blade with limited technology, the bladesmith must be a real genius and perfectionist.
Source
As you can see the inscription carved on the blade is actually written in ancient Chinese scripture. The script translates to "The King of Yue Named Guo Jian For his Personal Use".
Due to its remarkable durability, scientist at Fudan University and CAS used high-tech equipment to find out the chemical composition. It consist of high concentration of copper, followed by tin and a very small amount of lead, iron and sulphur. The usage of copper makes it more flexible and less of a chance to break. The tin is focused around the edges to make them durable and maintaining sharpness. The blade patterns are covered with sulphur to reduce tarnishing.
The sword of goujian weighs 875 grams (1.93 lbs) which is relatively lighter and also shorter compare to average swords. It is 55.6cm (21.9 inches)in length with 8.4cm (3.3 inches) hilt and the blade is 4.6cm (1.8 inches) wide in its base. Each side of blade is covered with rhombic etching and the handle is embedded with blue crystals and turquoise. The sword handle is wrapped with silk and the pommel is consist of 11 concentric circles.