At least in the Warring States period, the halberd and spear were the individual weapons of soldiers fighting en masse, not the individualistic weapons of an outstanding warrior. War became the activity of commoners and the knightly class, rather than an arena for proving aristocratic identity. Halberds and spears marked the rise of mass warfare and the departure of aristocratic dominance of the battlefield. According to Wu Qi, tall men were given bows and arrows while short men spears and halberds. One about 2.8 m long and the other around 5.5m, or what would be considered a pike in western terminology. Spears and halberds came in two general sizes. Warring States period (475–221 BC) īy the end of the 4th century BC, dagger-axes with spearheads began to appear, essentially becoming a halberd. By around 500 BC however the sword and shield combination began to be regarded as superior to the spear and dagger-axe. Ĭhina started producing steel in the 6th century BC, but it was not until later on that iron and steel implements were produced in useful amounts. At this point at least some soldiers used the jian rather than the dagger-axe due to its greater flexibility and portability. īy the late Spring and Autumn period, jians lengthened to about 56 cm. A very long spear is just called a long spear. From the Warring States period onward, the length of Chinese polearms varied from around 2.8 m to 5.5 m, however there is no specific designation for a pike in the traditional Chinese lexicon. It was essentially a short sword attached to a stick. There was another polearm weapon known as the pi (鈹), translated into English as either sword-staff or long lance, that was used from ancient times until the Han dynasty. The spear is also sometimes called a mao (矛), which is sometimes used to designate polearms with a wavy snake-like spearhead. Dagger-axes were originally a short slashing weapon with a 0.9 to 1.8 m long shaft, but around the 4th century BC a spearhead was added to the blade, and it became a halberd. They are translated into English as dagger-axe, spear, and halberd. The three most common types of Chinese polearms are the ge (戈), qiang (槍), and ji (戟). Some dagger-axe artifacts are small and curved and could have been intended for use as pendants.Left to right: Spear (qiang), sword staff/long lance (pi), dagger-axe (ge), halberd (ji), axe-halberd (yueji), great dao (dadao) Although the jade examples do not appear to have been intended for use in actual combat, their morphology closely imitates that of the battle-ready bronze version, including a sharp central ridge which reinforces the blade. ![]() Normally only the head of a dagger-axe is found, with the shaft absent because of either decomposition or mechanical removal. ![]() Sometimes they are found in a pit dug beneath a coffin, with a victim who was sacrificed to guard the tomb, where they presumably are intended to keep the spirit-guard armed. These examples are often found within coffins, possibly meant to serve as emblems of authority and power, or in some other ritualistic capacity. Many excavated dagger-axes are ceremonial jade weapons found in the tombs of aristocrats. By the Warring States period, large masses of infantry fighting in close ranks using the spear or ji had displaced the small groups of aristocrats on foot or mounted in chariots who had previously dominated the battlefield. The ji was later replaced by the spear as the primary polearm of the Chinese military. Later versions of the ji, starting in the Spring and Autumn period, combined the dagger-axe blade and spear head into a single piece.īy the Han dynasty, the more versatile ji had completely replaced the dagger-axe as a standard infantry weapon. The ji was developed from the dagger-axe by adding a spear head to the top of the shaft, thereby enabling the weapon to be used with a thrusting motion as well as a swinging motion. Its appearance on the Chinese battlefield predated the use of chariots and the later dominance of tightly packed infantry formations.ĭuring the Zhou dynasty, the ji or Chinese halberd gradually became more common on the battlefield. Lacking a point for thrusting, the dagger-axe was used in the open where there was enough room to swing its long shaft. The dagger-axe was the first weapon in Chinese history that was not also a dual-use tool for hunting (such as the bow and arrow) or agriculture.
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