The Discovery
In 1965, an archeological excursion was conducted in Hubei specifically in the Zhang River Reservoir. Not only did hey unearth tombs, but they also found an assortment of royal artifacts. They found bronze swords, and ancient burials but the most important discovery was The Sword of Goujian. The sword was dressed in a wooden scabbard and the case was almost airtight. This kept the sword untarnished and the blade, spotlessly smooth. It’s assumed that the sword was never actually used in combat since it lacks scratches and it doesn’t look worn out at all.
The Sword’s Design
The Sword of Goujian isn’t only immaculately pristine but it also has intricate rhombi patterns all along the sides of the blades. There are also chunks of blue crystals and turquoise embedded on the sides. The handle has concentric circles wrapped around it and its materials were mainly forged with copper and tin. In addition to the design, it also has text engraved into it. The script translates to “King of Yue”, which indicates that Yue truly treasured his sword more than anything in the world.
The Bronze-age
The bronze-age Chinese craftsmen were famous for forging bronze materials with tin and alloy content. This increased the hardness and durability of their weapons including swords. The Sword of Goujian is a testament of their skilled craftsmanship and the amount of technicality each piece of weapon had undergone.