In the long period of time, there have been many battles large and small, and people have created many exquisite weapons for combat through practice. In ancient times, in order to meet the needs of life, the people of the primitive tribe created many tools for farming and production tools, and later with the strife between the tribes, these items gradually evolved into weapons. The use of these weapons is very different, from the very beginning of the stone tools to bronze and even jade utensils, in addition to practical value, many weapons also have a high ornamental value.
First, the origin of weapons
From ancient times to the Warring States people have the concept of weapons, tools made of stone can no longer meet the needs of large-scale wars, nor applicable to daily life, since then bronze has embarked on the stage of history. The spear made of bronze played a huge role and became a symbol of that era. With the maturity of metallurgical processes, people began to smelt weapons with iron or copper. It makes the forging of weapons more rapid and the process more mature. These offensive weapons all play a great role in actual combat. The war in the era of cold weapons was also very fierce.
After thousands of years of continuous transformation and upgrading, manufacturers are not only satisfied with practicality, but also pay attention to the ornamentation of its appearance. Therefore, when designing weapons, various patterns will be carved and polished on them to express the user's preferences. Ancient offensive weapons are roughly divided into two categories: heavy weapons and dexterous weapons, which are widely used in different fields and different occasions, and are also full of cultural value.
2. Heavy-duty attack weapons
1. Heavy weapons represent it - sticks
Most of the "fighting" weapons are heavy weapons, which are slow but the material is very strong, and even if the enemy wears armor under heavy blows, it will cause serious internal injuries. Among them, the more representative heavy weapon is the stick.
In the north of the continent, the stick is often called "stick" or "white stick", and in the south, it is called "stick". Sticks have a long history, and in the agricultural life of primitive society, sticks played a very high use value as one of the main tools of production, and were also used in warfare very early. In ancient times, the stick was called 殳, and there is still a difference between the stick and the current stick. At that time, the front end was equipped with a "gun head" made of bronze, with a blade on it. There are two kinds of heads, there are edges and no edges. During the Warring States period, no edges were used. After the Qin and Han Dynasties, there were a variety of different styles of heads, including pile bodies, three spear-shaped, and copper hoops with spikes at both ends of the wooden handle.
2. Highly lethal chopping weapons
"Chopper" weapons are more lethal, mainly by slashing and slashing at enemies, especially against enemies without armor. For example, a short weapon such as a sword, the sword is a double-edged weapon, which is more convenient for assassination. The sword appeared before Yin Shang. During the Spring and Autumn Warring States period, the wind of the sword prevailed, which was also a status symbol at that time. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, the shape of the sword was very gorgeous and exquisite, which had a great influence on the aesthetics of later generations.
The decoration of the sword body is very exquisite, first of all, the sword body, the sword peaks on both sides of the copper sword in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty are narrower and close to the sword grid, from the widest part of the sword grid to the forward, to the forward and then gradually expanded, and finally in the front end becomes the forward. A beautiful and symmetrical curve is formed. There are many ethnic minorities who have long used bronze to make short swords with greater curvature and protruding tips in the middle. Many swords are cast with inscriptions or various patterns on the body of the sword. For example, Wuyue bronze swords are often cast with diamond checkered dark patterns or other ornaments, and the sword body is cast with inscriptions.
In ancient times, it was very popular pattern steel, pattern steel is used to make swords, swords and other valuable utensils with pattern steel, and there are crystalline pattern steel, irrigation pattern steel and so on. The pattern carving of pattern steel is extremely smooth, and there are various types of wood grain or flowers. Since the Eastern Han Dynasty, there have been records of patterned steel in ancient times, and since the Tang Dynasty, it has been used in large quantities in the Song, Ming and Qing dynasties. The "White Tattoo" sword mentioned in Fu Xuan's "Zheng Du Fu" of the Western Jin Dynasty, the fish intestine sword and the Song Wen sword mentioned in Song Shenkuo's "Mengxi Pen Talk" are all made of patterned steel.
After the Song Dynasty, more graceful sword dances gradually replaced fencing. In ancient times, swords were used for a variety of other purposes in addition to fighting and strengthening the body.
The sword can be used as a symbol of power and status. The sword is also used as a magic weapon by Taoist or Buddhist disciples, and is believed to have the effect of exorcising demons. The sword is also used as a sign of status in ceremonies. In many classic historical sources, it is recorded that the requirements for the sword of the dynasties and dynasties have been recorded, and according to the age and status of the sabre people, they have also been decorated with different qualities of metal or jade.
In order to meet the beauty of the composition, the middle position of the sword grid is usually designed to gradually bulge a piece, shaped like a diamond, which may be to highlight the three-dimensional effect of the commonly used animal face decoration. The shape of the middle hole varies from diamond to rectangle. There are also sword grids with a small opening at the top end and a slightly pointed lower end.
In terms of decoration, there are also a variety of techniques, some of which are decorated with animal face patterns on one side, geometric patterns on the other side, and some are decorated with cirrus clouds on one side, and one side is embossed with a mantis, and some are decorated with the same ornamentation on both sides, or the whole is plain and does not decorate the pattern. The sword is regarded as a kind of elegant ornament, which not only highlights the status of the person with the sword, but also shows its elegance by many literati scholars.
3. Dexterous weapons
1. The spear of the thorn weapon is king
"Thorn" is mainly a long weapon, combined with chariots and cavalry to greatly increase the power, the shape of the gun and the spear and its similar, but much lighter than the spear, and the blade of the gun is also sharper. From the Tang Dynasty to the Song Dynasty, it almost became the most important weapon in the army. The gun, known as the spear in ancient times, is a thorn weapon, the penetration is extremely strong, although the gun body is long and the blade is sharp, but it is still very convenient to use.
In ancient times, craftsmen can show a variety of popular ornaments on the sword equipment with different materials, processes and expression methods, among them, the more advanced the level of the sword grid, the more complex the style and decoration of the sword, the more can reflect the craftsmanship and become a representative of the identity of the wearer, the exquisite ornaments on these weapons contain rich meanings, and the exquisite skills of the makers are even more amazing.
There are many patterns that are very common, from the bronze swords of the Spring and Autumn Warring States Period to the bronze swords of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, which can be seen in the image of decorative dragons, which are used on sword grids and sword hammers, implying auspiciousness and longevity. There are also lions that are not uncommon in weapons, Chinese believe that lions are fierce animals by nature and can drive away evil spirits and avoid harm.
Folk festive festivals, often used to play lions to herald auspicious celebrations and auspicious rui to set off a lively atmosphere. Therefore, lions are known as "martial auspicious" in the folk. The composition of the lion ornament on the sword is full of lion play balls or double lion play balls, which contain the meaning of highlighting the magnate and praying for the prosperity of the officials. In the Tang Dynasty, crane carvings began to appear on swords, often at the same time as cloud patterns, and the ancients believed that this cloud crane pattern could make people live longer. The use of crane patterns on the Ming and Qing sword grids and sword hammers is also the meaning of prolonging life.
2. Shooting weapons have been passed down through the ages
The Book of Poetry says: "Drumming its boring, enthusiastic use of soldiers." "The two armies meet, and the bow and crossbow compete first." The bow and arrow has been the most common weapon in thousands of years of combat history and is also very important. Bows and arrows appear at the same time, and in the process of making bows and arrows, it is very troublesome. It is rumored that the Song Dynasty won battles even higher than during the Tang Dynasty, and it is undeniable that the military strength of the Song Dynasty should not be underestimated, and the Southern Song Dynasty was able to persist under the attack of the Mongol cavalry for forty-five years, relying on weapons and equipment, and even the weapons of the Southern Song Dynasty could not be restored until now.
In addition to the strong combat effectiveness of the bow and arrow, the appearance is also enough to see the designer's intentions. In the Han Dynasty, the Tiger Bow and others were inlaid with gold or jade ornaments. Most of the bows and arrows used in the army will be carved with ornaments that represent this army, or various patterns representing auspicious meanings. For example, rattan palindrome locks, used for the beginning or end of some kind of decoration, are not only common on bows, but also often seen on other items.
There are also exquisitely decorated turtle back brocade pile mountain zi outer decoration is also extremely common, pile mountain zi is the central plains traditional external decoration method, as the name suggests, is the use of the same size of bark pieces through the combination of different patterns of a way, the current common decorative techniques in addition to the turtle back brocade there are pheasant neck, swastika and other shapes, usually use the user with the pile of mountain painting live bow, the status is very high.
Arrows that match a strong bow are also very exquisite. Arrows with different uses, in order to fit different combat environments, will also be designed with different shapes. Arrows are also divided into two types: pointed and prismatic, the pointed one is called "plum needle arrow", and the prismatic one is called "plutonium arrow", with birch or willow wood as the rod, which is extremely sharp and tough. The ornaments on the bow and arrow are often photographed, and the patterns carved on the bow and arrow are usually the same style, and the more complex and exquisite the ornamentation, the more it can reflect the identity and status of the person who uses it.
3. Dark weapons are invincible
The slingshot is a type of hidden weapon, the bow shaft is made of bamboo, and the horn is on the inside and tendon on the outside. Bow strings are made of a wide variety of endurance and stretchy materials. The projectiles used for firing are mud balls, locust sand balls, and metal balls, and the use of the slingshot is much the same as that of the bow and arrow. When the bow is opened, the bow chords are pulled apart at the same time. Hold your breath when you fire. The projectile pops out immediately after letting go, which can catch the enemy off guard from taking a blow. Weapons like these are very personal in appearance, and the holder can decorate the slingshot as much as he wants, or engrave the inscription or cast it with ornamentation. The most common of these weapons is the pattern of animal totems. The identity of the user can be roughly seen through the ornamentation on the top.
The wisdom of the ancients created such a rich variety of weapons, which played a great value, whether they were used as defensive tools in early ancient times or in battle. This is the rich experience summed up by the working people in ancient times in their lives, and these achievements are also valuable wealth left for us, which have had a great impact on our modern production and industry, and are the bright pearls in the long river of history.
Photo and text shared from: First Battlefield Dismantling Officer