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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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241CE
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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 241CE. 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). There are two small hooks in front of the sight not visible in the photo above that are a part of the same component as the wangshan and serve as the nut, or ya (牙). The rectangular handle that serves as the trigger, or xuandao (悬刀) is missing from this specimen, 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 would have been held together by two bronze axle pins, but both are missing from this specimen. 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 severely, so much so that the components of the mechanism have fused together.
The museum was able to date this mechanism precisely to 241CE, the second year of the Zhengshi reign title. This might indicate that there are engravings on the crossbow mechanism that date the mechanism to a specific date and location of manufacture. Alternatively, this information could also have been gleaned from archaeological context.
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Source
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Nanjing Museum
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Crossbow Top Measurements
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Length: 3.1cm
Width: 11.8cm
Thickness: 3.5cm
