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Dagger-Ax with Ferrule
Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–9 CE)
Not on view
The dagger-ax (ge) was the chief hand weapon of the Chinese army until the Eastern Zhou period (771–256 B.C.), when the two-pronged halberd (ji) replaced it as the infantry’s and newly formed cavalry’s weapon of choice. By the Western Han period, the dagger-ax served only as ritual paraphernalia.
Exquisitely crafted bronze dagger-axes with gold, silver, or gilded finials and ferrules (zun) are often found in pairs among the tomb furnishings of princes. The duck-shaped finial and hoof-shaped ferrule of the present example suggest that it was a ceremonial weapon, used in ritual processions.
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