The manufacturing technology of iron swords from the capital of the Han Empire in China
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The manufacturing technology of iron swords from the capital of the Han Empire in China Fengyan Zhao1,2 · Manli Sun1 · Xiuhui Li3 · Fei Guo2 · Mengyu Li3 Received: 28 February 2020 / Accepted: 7 August 2020 © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Abstract Xi’an City was the capital of China during the Western Han (202 BC–8 AD) and Xinmang (8–23 AD) periods. Metallographic studies of iron swords from this region are very rare. This study analyzed six iron swords from different tombs in Xi’an by metallographic examination, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive spectrometry. These results indicate that one sample was produced using a direct smelting process, while the other samples were made from Chaogang (炒钢) decarburization of indirect process. Two swords were identified as very early Bailiangang (百炼钢) objects, which were highly valued at that time. This study supplements current analytical data on the center of the Han Empire. Keywords Han dynasty · Iron sword · Metallography · SEM–EDS · Manufacturing techniques · Chaogang · Bailiangang
1 Introduction The history of the sword is the history of humanity [1]. It begins in the prehistoric period, when stone axes were created, and then, hilts were added. During the third millennium BC, copper and bronze materials were used for blade manufacture; in the second millennium BC, daggers were transformed into swords in most parts of the world; by 900 BC, iron and some techniques (hammering, folding and welding, etc.) were used to produce stronger, more flexible, more long-lasting, and more lethal swords [2]. In China, the earliest smelted iron sword was made in Henan Province during the late Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 BC) [3]. Currently, there are no more than two dozen extant swords manufactured before the seventh century BC [4]. During the Han dynasty (202 BC–220 AD), iron production was greatly developed [5, 6]. As a result, a large number of iron swords were manufactured all over the country
and came to replace bronze swords. We analyzed the statistics of 220 intact Han tombs in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province [7–9]. Our analysis showed that about 35% of the tombs included burial of weapons: the bronze weapons were mainly crossbows, while the iron weapons consisted of swords and knives. The ancient Chinese book Jin Shu (The book of Jin dynasty, 晋书) recorded that “Han’s rule requires officials, including the emperor, to carry swords.” It is thus evident that swords occupied a significant position in Han society. The sword served not only as a weapon but also as a symbol of social standing, a fashion accessory, a talismanic object, or a recreational tool [4, 10–12]. Based on their general characteristics, these swords can be grouped into three categories—long (> 70 cm), medium (30–70 cm), and short (30 cm), with different subtypes in each category [4–10] (Fig. 1a–e). In general, very few Han swords were short swords. They were instead primarily long swords and medium swords, and mainly of the types
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