In 2006, archaeologists discovered an ancient tomb of the Shang Dynasty in Ganquan, Xi'an. Gold, copper, bone, stone and other cultural relics have been excavated from the ancient tombs, of which there are as many as 57 bronzes. Among the many bronzes unearthed, a strange sword with a strange shape has attracted everyone's attention. To this day, this strange sword still hides three insoluble mysteries.
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In this archaeological excavation, a total of seven weapons such as go, knife and hammer were unearthed, and one of the strange swords was very peculiar in shape. It is a short sword with a length of only 24 centimeters. However, the entire sword body is not the usual straight line, but shows a certain curvature, a bit of a machete feeling. The body of the sword is wide, flanked by sharp blades. In the middle of the blade, there is a ridge that connects directly from the body of the sword to the hilt. The tip of the hilt of the sword is also provided with a ring buckle, which is analyzed to be used to tie the spike of the sword. Most peculiarly, a bell is cast at the bottom of the hilt of this sword. Usually there is nothing wrong with putting the sword there, as long as you pick up the sword, this bell can make a crisp bell sound. The puzzling mystery arises from this bell, is it not true that this is actually an intelligent voice anti-theft sword?
Archaeologists have named this strange sword the Curved Stem Bell Head Short Sword, which is now hidden in the Ganquan Museum in Shaanxi. To this day, the true purpose of this strange sword, which was born 3,000 years ago, is still a mystery, and there is still no definite conclusion. At present, there are three most widely circulated speculations.
The first mystery is that this curved-stemmed bell-headed shortsword was used to frighten wild beasts while hunting. The reason is that according to historical records, there are similar bell-headed swords that were once popular among the nomadic peoples of the northern steppe. The result of archaeologists' identification of this curved stem bell short sword is that the second period that should belong to the Yin Shang culture is the Lijiaya culture. The Lijiaya culture itself is an ethnic minority culture influenced by the Shang and Zhou cultures, which is popular for animal husbandry and hunting, and has a strong grassland style. Here you can imagine it: a group of hunters each took a curved-stemmed bell-headed sword, formed a large circle, and ran excitedly all the way, ringing the bell all the way.
The wild game, hidden in the grass, scattered and fled. The scene of hunters abandoning a small hare and chasing the biggest goat together, and finally winning.
The second mystery is that this curved-stemmed bell-headed shortsword is the standard of combat troops, and is used for use in battle. First of all, this is a short sword, unlike long weapons such as go, knife, spear, etc., which are directly brandished and rushed up, most likely the second spare weapon worn by soldiers. It is much the same as today's combat units, in addition to a rifle or submachine gun, but also wear a pistol or dagger. However, in addition to being used as a backup weapon, the soldier can also sound a crisp bell at any time when attacking and moving. Imagine that thousands of troops rushed to the enemy position, even if they did not shout the murderous slogan, the rumbling footsteps, and the incessant bells, it was still enough to make the enemy frightened.
The third mystery is that this curved-stemmed bell-headed short sword is a special alarm bell for the King's Guard. Short swords, easy to wear, even precious bronze, the king's full-time guard can afford to spend. Importantly, the curved-stemmed bell-headed short sword can make a loud sound as the guards walk, which is interesting. Wherever the king's guard goes, the idle people and so on must be avoided. But we can't let the guards shout with a loudspeaker, "Those who sell tofu in front, quickly pull over." It is much better for each person to wear a short sword with a curved bell head, and where the bell rings, it is where the King's Guard goes, as long as they are not deaf, when they hear this crisp bell sound, they quickly and automatically avoid it. Not only is it convenient for everyone, but even the assassins who want to assassinate will be suspicious because everyone is busy avoiding it.
Unfortunately, all three are conjectures, and each one is a mystery left to us by the short sword of the curved stem. In fact, no matter what the real use of the short sword of the curved stem bell is, our ancestors skillfully fused sound and weapons together, which is worthy of praise by future generations, "Isn't it wonderful", and even the editor has begun to admire their wisdom.
Wen Xiucai, editor-in-chief of Wenlan Hairun Studio, this article is written by: Special History Writer: Zhang Hongguang