Between 1965 and 1967 Chinese archaeologists were conducting a dig near Zhang River Reservoir in Hebei Province. 50 tombs were discovered yielding 2,000 priceless historic artifacts. Perhaps the most important was a bronze sword discovered in the tomb of an ancient Chinese king, what is now called the “Sword of Goujian”. Crafted from bronze, the sword dates to the Spring and Autumn Period” of Chinese history (771 BC to 403 BC). Amazingly, despite being around 2,500 years old the sword is in almost perfect condition, and still sharp enough to shave with. The incredible preservation of the blade is attributed to the composition of its bronze allow, and storage in an airtight scabbard. The sword blade features a beautiful repeating geometric rhombi pattern as well as decorations of blue crystal and turquoise. The hilt is bound in silk and composed of eleven concentric circles. The blade itself is 55.6 centimetres (21.9 in) in length and 4.6 centimetres (1.8 in) wide at its base. Overall the sword weighs 31 ounces.
The right hand side of the blade features eight characters which read “King of Yue made this sword for his personal use”. This leads a problem to the personal identity of the tomb, as there were nine kings who ruled Yue during the Spring and Autumn Period. Despite controversy as to its owner, general consensus is that the sword belongs to King Goujian, who ruled Yue between 496 and 465 BC.
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