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Title
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Gold-plated Bronze Crossbow Mechanism
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Collection Location
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National Museum of China
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Date
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Western-Han Dynasty (202 BCE-9 CE)
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Location
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Linzi, Zibo, Shandong, China
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Description
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This gold-plated crossbow mechanism held by the National Museum of China is dated to the Western-Han dynasty, unearthed 1978~1980 in the Linzi district of the city of Zibo in Shandong province.
The mechanism comprises three parts: the wangshan (望山) and ya (牙)—the piece that sticks out at the top that functions as both the sight of the crossbow and the part of the mechanism that hooks the string in place; the xuandao (悬刀)—the trigger; and the gouxin (钩心)—the pawl. These are held together by two axles and are contained in a bronze guo (郭) or case.
The gold plating has corroded off at parts, and the museum description states that there are missing pieces of the mechanism (but it does not specify which, and it is not visible what is missing from the photo, so it is likely an internal piece of the mechanism that is missing). There is an inscription on the mechanism that reads “crafted by He, a work ___”. From context, the missing text likely goes with the word “work” to indicate the title of some kind of labour official.
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Source
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National Museum of China
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Crossbow Top Measurements
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Length: 15cm
Width: 16.6cm
