This article is preliminary study on an inlayed and gilded sword (record, R20080) excavated at Lui-Li-Ko, Hui Hsien, in Honan Province, in the spring 1937. This sword (R20080) was from the tomb HLM060 in which accompanied are burial bronze vessels, weapons and tools, including 29 ting (鼎), 29 chung (鐘), 7 li (鬲), 6 tun (敦), 4 fu (簠), 1 tou (豆), 2 pan (盤), 14 ko halberds, 3 swords, 3 axes, 2 knives, 372 arrow-heads... etc. Dating of the tomb, I picked out 14 ko halberds and 1 tou (豆) as reference, since the typology of the both specimens can help us to draw a reasonable hypothesis.
There are three portions of ko halberd: the blade (yüan 援), the neck (hu 胡), and the haft (nei 內)(Pl. V). This group of ko halberd appear to possess the blade with broad triangular tongue point. The neck is a downward projection at the haft section of the blade and is often a rather short and massive piece. The haft is of rectangular shape or rounded at the other end of the blade. On the blade there are two cutting edges, the upper and the lower. The ratio of the upper cutting edge and the lower one in length is from 0.816 to 0.939. Namely, the dating of these ko halberds by means of the typological characteristics belongs approximately to the Early Warring States Period.(1)(2)
There was one bronze pedestal tou (豆) (Pl. X: 1) from the tomb HLM060. The single pedestal base was of round shape with a short and round stem. The bowl was circular with flat bottom and and undecorated. The total height of tou is 14.5 cm., and the diameters of the base, of the stem, of the bowl are 16.1 cm., 10.0 cm., 25.4 cm. respectively, the depth of the bowl is 3.2 cm.. This tou belongs to the same type as the tou that came from the cemetery of the state of the Kuo (虢國墓) at Shang Ts'un Ling, San Mén Gorge, Honan province in 1956-7.
Therefore, it is evident that the date of this tomb and of its contents is from the late Spring and Autumn Annals to the Early Warring States Period.
With the referenced above mentioned in mind, now I introduce the R20080 sword (Pl. XIV). The sword is 35.4 cm. in length. The pommel consists of a transverse rectangular plaque with rounded corners, partly in openwork. The ornamentation is animal patterns of both p'an-hui (蟠虺紋 coiling snakes) and t'ao-t'ieh (饕餮 animal mask). Such decorations often appeared upon bronze vessels in the Warring States Period. The flat handle bears the p'an-hui (Coiling snakes) on both sides. An animal mask (t'ao-t'ieh) with round bossed-eyes, S shape horns and upward nose serves as the guard. The guard shows "д" the flat roof form. The blade is strengthened by a round midrib which goes through from the handle to the point of the blade. All the decoration of the pommel, the handle and the guard are gilded with gold. The turquoises were inlaid at the site of animals' eyes were turquoise-inlaid pieces. The scabbard of ivory has been broken into fragments, upon the end of which there is some of carving décor. Patina was bluish green.
On the one hand, the R20080 sword expressed that the goldsmith of bronze industry was very perfect in the Early Warring States Period. There are probably some processes before finishing this sword. Firstly, the blade through the handle is made just as the method of the other style of sword without guard and pommel. Secondly, the guard designs on both sides of the handle and the pommel are later added, after gold and turquoises have been inlaid. At present, we do not understand how to make the goldsmith in past, is it the same method described in the book of "T'ien Kung K'ai Wu" (《天工開物》)? We are not sure because there does not seem to be anything between the gold and the bronze. It may be adherent by adhesion of gold and bronze as the traditional method of the ancient Yin dynasty. On the other hand from the typological point of view, the style of the big pommel which consists of a transverse rectangular plaque with round corners, the wide and flat handle, and the flat roof form guard show the characteristics of the Ordos culture. The tradition of Chinese bronze décor on the guard and the pommel, and the straight and slender blade with round midrib are the characteristics of the Chinese culture. Because the most important parts of the sword - the décor and the blade - show the Chinese characteristics. I venture to assume that the R20080 sword was a combination of chiefly Chinese culture and partially influenced by the Ordos culture.
(1) Dr. Li Chi: "Typological Studies of the Bronze Kouping (Chinese Halberds) excavated from Northern Honan, with a Classined and Illustrated List" (Bulletin of the Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica, Vol. XXII, pp. 1-17.)
(2) Chen Jui-Li: "Bronze Weapons of the Warring States period (part I)" (Bulletin of the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, Nos. 21-22. pp. 32-47).