A Study On Bronze Sword Unearthed From Chu Tombs In Hubei Province

Bronze sword is one of the common utensils in Chu tombs.The sword is a short weapon,which can be divided into two parts by the grid,the front part is the "sword body",and the rear part is the "hilt",which are responsible for killing the enemies and holding thesword respectively.Hubei province was one of the main areas of Chu people’s activities in history,and the area around Jinan City was once the economic,political and cultural center of Chu.Taking bronze swords unearthed from Chu tombs in Hubei province as the research object,this paper reviewed the archaeological reports,briefs and archaeological almanacs of Chu tombs published over the years,sorting out 813 Chu tombs where bronze swords were unearthed,and the number of bronze swords unearthed from these Chu tombs was about 953.Based on the overall grasp of the bronze swords’ shape,and after the typological research,the shape features unearthed in this area are divided into two categories,four types and eleven subtypes clearly.Based on the typology research,this paper makes statistics and analysis on the archaeological cultural characteristics of Chu tombs of bronze swords unearthed in Hubei province,such as age,region,identity of tomb owner,head direction and burial position of bronze swords.Based on the archaeological research,from the aspects below-mentioned,the guarantee of copper mine resources and the bronze swords’ manufacturing technology,the surrounding situation and the promotion of Chu people’s sword-wearing customs,the development of national power and the influence of Chu people’s heavy military awareness,the cultural exchange and integration enriched the shape of bronze swords,the thesis analyzes the reasons for the formation of the related archaeological cultural characteristics.The development of bronze mining technology,smelting technology,casting technology and decoration technology in Chu provided an objective guarantee for the circulation of bronze swords in Chu.In the geographical situation of dense water network or hilly forest,the advantage of long weapons is often difficult to display.From the perspective of combat,bronze sword is a nicer choice for short weapons with lethality and flexibility.In the historical period where Chu was located,wars occurred frequently.In addition,Hubei province was actually a vulnerable land.In the process of Chu’s self-preservation and expansion,Chu people’s awareness of military importance was further developed,and the custom of wearing swords became more common among Chu people.In addition,in the process of the development of Chu,various cultural exchanges took place with the neighboring areas.In this kind of cultural exchange,the characteristics of Chu culture made the shape of bronze swords in this area greatly enriched.