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Title
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Three Kingdoms Wei Kingdom Bronze Crossbow Mechanism
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Collection Location
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Nanjing Museum
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Date
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226CE - 239CE
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Location
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Wei Kingdom (territory covers modern day Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Shandong, Anhui, Jiangsu, northern Hubei, and central Liaoning)
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Description
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This bronze crossbow mechanism held by the Nanjing museum is dated to Cao Rui’s reign in the Wei Kingdom during the Three Kingdoms period. Its exact location of unearthing is not listed.
The mechanism is made of bronze and it comprises most of the typical parts of a Chinese crossbow mechanism. The long rectangular protrusion at the top of the mechanism is the sight, or wangshan (望山). The two small hooks sticking out in front of the sight are a part of the same component as the wangshan and serve as the nut, or ya (牙). The rectangular handle at the bottom of the mechanism is the trigger, or xuandao (悬刀), and within the bronze casing, or guo (郭) there is a sear, or gouxin (钩心) connecting the sight and nut and the trigger. The mechanism is held together by two bronze axle pins, this specimen appears to be missing one of its pins, with the other damaged. The top surface of the bronze casing has a groove that goes down the middle which would continue onto the wooden stock of the crossbow. This groove would be where the arrow rests during drawing and aiming. The surface of the mechanism has been corroded and oxidised.
The museum has dated this mechanism to the reign of Cao Rui, the second emperor of Wei. This might indicate that there were engravings on the mechanism itself that marked its time and location of production, or that this crossbow mechanism was found in association with other artefacts of the time period.
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Source
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Nanjing Museum
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Crossbow Top Measurements
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Length: 18cm
Width: 14cm
