Archaeologists Unearth Strange ‘Fish Scale’ Weapons From 2,000-Year-Old Chinese Tomb

Researchers at the Jiangxi Provincial Cultural Relics and Archeology Research Institute in China have found remains of complex weapons found in a Han dynasty tomb that is more than 2,000 years old.

The unusual weapon is made of many materials, making it the first of its kind to be inscribed in the Han dynasty, the agency announced on December 7, as reported by Xinhua News Agency.

The tomb belonged to Liu He, a prince who inherited the throne of the Western Han Dynasty (202 BCE to 25 CE) only 27 days before he was deposed (though not killed). At the time of his death many years later, he was known as the Marquis of Haihun. Archaeologists discovered his well-preserved tomb in eastern China’s Jiangxi Province in 2011.

中国江西省文物考古研究院は7日、海昏、海昏、海昏侯劉賀墓から出土した甲冑の甲片の情定全家全したとしまぶぶぶしぶしまします.したします、漆吊の鉄と銅と銅を全がたがたたたたたたたたたたたなをなをを. pic.twitter.com/mxV3OY0Jgj

— 中国新華社 日本語 (@XHJapanese) December 10, 2024

Two years ago, archaeologists discovered weapon scales (also known as plates) as well as knives and swords in a pile in the tomb’s armory, according to The History Blog.. Given the remains of lacquer—a hard, shiny coat—archaeologists thought the weapons were originally placed in lacquered boxes that have now disintegrated.

“Haihun Hou Tomb has been experiencing earthquakes and rising groundwater due to the expansion of Poyang Lake, so the pieces of armor were in a fragile state,” Yang Jun of the Jiangxi Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archeology and head of the excavation. the team that discovered the tomb told Xinhua News Agency. Over the course of two years, the team—including researchers from the Institute of Archeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and several other institutions—unearthed 6,000 weapon scales and brought them to the laboratory for analysis and restoration.

The armor stood out because of its different size and scale. According to Bai Rongjin of the Institute of Archeology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Han dynasty weapon scales typically range from 0.39 to 3.94 inches (4 to 10 centimeters). The smaller the scales, the more is needed, requiring greater skill to make such a delicate piece of machinery.

However, “The smallest piece of armor” from the tomb of the Marquis of Haihun “is about 1 cm in diameter and 0.2 cm in thickness, making it the smallest piece of fish armor unearthed during the archaeological investigation of the ruins of the Han Dynasty,” he explained. In addition, archaeologists found that these weapons were made of many materials, including iron, copper, and leather. This is also unusual, as Rongjin noted that the weapons of the Han dynasty were often made of a single material. In fact, scales are the only documented example of multi-material weapons from the Han Dynasty.

The weapons at the end represent the best example of Han dynasty military equipment, and show the excellent level of weapons production that existed in the region at the time. Perhaps it even suggests that although Liu He may have been disgraced during his lifetime, he was buried with honor.