Warring States bronze spear
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August 28, 2025
This is a bronze spear from the Warring States period, a long weapon used in ancient warfare. But today, I’m not going to focus on its function or design. Instead, I want to share an intriguing discovery I made while examining it closely. Under a magnifying glass, I noticed small, regular patterns on both the front and back of the spear—patterns that resemble silk fabric. These imprints suggest that the spear was wrapped in silk before being buried with its owner, along with other funerary items. After over 2,400 years of exposure to the elements, the actual silk has long since decayed, but its imprint remains clearly visible on the bronze surface.
This discovery is remarkable because it provides physical evidence of early silk use in burial practices. While we know that silk production became prominent during the Han Dynasty, especially with the development of the Silk Road, the history of silk in China stretches much further back. Archaeological findings, such as spinning wheels from the Neolithic period, support the idea that textile-making was already well-established thousands of years ago. Even earlier, in the Shang Dynasty, traces of silk fabric have been found on bronze objects like bells and tripods. However, until 2006, most physical examples of silk were only discovered in Han tombs, such as the Mawangdui Tomb in Changsha, where well-preserved silk garments were unearthed.
In 2007, a major breakthrough occurred when silk fabrics were discovered in tombs in Jiangxi, including those of the Jing’an and Zhou dynasties. These textiles were of higher quality than previously known examples. I had the privilege of seeing similar imprints on a Warring States-era bronze spear in 1994, before the Jing’an silk discovery. At the time, the data was impressive. The impressions on the spear showed clear warp and weft patterns, with the warp threads significantly thicker than the wefts. This level of detail is rare and fascinating for archaeologists studying ancient textiles.
Now, let’s turn our attention to another artifact: a small bronze arrowhead and a bronze bell. Bronze figurines have been found at sites like Erlitou, and they were used for centuries, eventually giving way to iron tools after the Han Dynasty. The use of bronze in weapons and tools spans over two thousand years. While the basic shape of these objects may seem simple, they evolved over time, especially in response to military needs.
For example, bronze bells and arrowheads underwent significant changes. Before the Spring and Autumn Period, many bronze arrowheads had a double-winged, flat shape, resembling bird wings. These were designed to increase the chance of hitting a target in flight. However, as warfare advanced, practical experience revealed that wider wings caused more drag, reducing accuracy. In the middle of the Spring and Autumn Period, the design shifted to a triangular cross-section, which minimized wind resistance, improved precision, and increased penetration power. This change marked a key advancement in ancient weaponry, demonstrating how real-world combat needs drove technological innovation.