2000 Year Old Sword Unearthed In Amazing Condition

[FletchSan]

Pretty amazing find uncovered by archeologists in China last month. Not exactly nihonto related though thought it would be of interest.

 

[Death-Ace]

Amazing! Definitely the conditions and air tight seal of the mounts did a good job! And all under that water for two millennia?

[Greg F]

Wow thats extremely cool. Thanks for sharing Ben.

 

Greg

[Stephen]

Devil's advocate in me calls foul , unless thats oil pouring out of scabbard, i just dont see 2K !!

[IJASWORDS]

I agree with Stephen, as much archaeological finesse as the autopsy of aliens at Roswell. Neil.  

[FletchSan]

I think the sword is bronze and I suspect the boggy like tomb it was in was essentially devoid of oxygen. I've seen similar finds in bogs in the U.K. & Europe that have amazingly preserved items like timber, leather shoes and clothing etc that are Roman or earlier.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterlogging_(archeology)

[vajo]

Bronze Sword 

[Ronin Akuma]

Amazing find!

 

Thanks for posting!

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

This is "warring states" period (500 b.C,). No saya however an interesting proto kodzuka in the same style of the main blade :

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

And here is how they were preserved :

[Ken-Hawaii]

There was a similar find in a Mycenaean tomb of a 3500-year-old bronze sword (http://magazine.uc.edu/editors_picks/recent_features/warrior_tomb.html). The hilt was covered in gold, & was still in the warrior's left hand. The photos in Smithsonian Magazine were awesome.

 

Lots of interesting archaeology going on these days.

 

Ken

 

[FletchSan]

Awesome - very interesting Ken.

 

This is also pretty facinating - a sword uncovered in Japan from the 5th century.

 

https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com.au/2016/12/hidden-chamber-in-5th-century-Japanese.html#FXdoCYmcSaAWU1kz.97

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inariyama_Sword

 

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

The iron blade is gone, however jade is still wonderful.  Dragon family:

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

And Han Dinasty gold fittings :

[drbvac]

Carlo - I am so happy that you are feeling better and back on the board = the knowledge and access to information is second to none and I thank you from us all

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

Brian I'm flattened by your words. I still have the pics of your home under the snow. I wish I had such a "buen retiro".