Page 308 - The Golden Age of Chinese Archaeology: Celebrated Discoveries from the People’s Republic of China

in common use in the central plains area. In the
southeast, swords developed independently — from
short daggers that may themselves have developed
out of spear blades. Swords associated with kings of
the Wu state were widely known by the end of the
sixth century BCE and were given as gifts to friendly
neighboring states. In the Chu sphere, however,
swords were rare until the fourth century BCE. S
It is noteworthy that no swords appear among the
thousands of weapons contained in the tomb of
Marquis Yi (although the soldier caryatids support-
ing the bell rack are depicted wearing swords).
Moreover, this pendant's curved profile seems to
imitate not a sword but rather a type of curved
knife with ring handle known as xiao. (There is no
evidence, however, that such knives were furnished
6
with scabbards. ) This object may therefore rep-
resent a fusion of two different types: the curved
knife familiar in Zeng and Chu territory and the
more prestigious Wu sword, examples of which may
not have been available to the marquis. CM

1 Excavated in 1978 (EC 11:99); reported: Hubei 1989,
1:419-421, and 2: color pi. 20:2, pi. 160:1, 2.
2 Hubei 1989,1:421. The report does not state whether the
clips are gold or bronze. The fact that they have corroded
suggests the former.
3 It is not clear why the tongue projects only to one side.
This section may be a partly recarved fragment of an
existing blade.
4 Jessica Rawson observes that jade chapes were a relatively
late addition to the repertoire of jade sword fittings. See
Rawson 1995, 298, no. 21:8.
5 Only two swords were found among the Chu tombs at
Xichuan, Xiasi. Excavated from the Late Warring States
period Tomb M 11, they were probably imports. See Henan
1991, 306, fig. 233:6-7.
6 For a xiao from Marquis Yi's tomb, see Hubei 1989, 2: pi.
84. The earliest surviving wooden scabbard was found in
a seventh-century BCE tomb of a noble of the Huang state.
It sheathed a straight sword rather than the curved knife
that is represented by the Marquis Yi jade. See Xinyang
1989^ 26-32, figs. 5:4, 7, and pi. 3:4.

307 | Z E N C H O U YI TOM B AT L E I G U D U N