14 DAY TRIAL // A bronze sword believed to be thousands of years old was pulled from a river in China not too long ago, and experts who have had the chance to examine it say that it was forged sometime during the Shang or Zhou dynasty.
The sword, a photo of which is available next to this article, measures about 10 inches (a little over 25 centimeters) in length. It's beautifully decorated, yet, at the same time, it has the right makeup to cause serious injuries if used properly.
No archaeologists needed to find this sword
As surprising as this may sound, it turns out that the 3,000-year-old bronze sword was not found by a bunch of researchers while painstakingly excavating an archaeological site. On the contrary, it was discovered by an 11-year-old boy.
What's even more interesting, this kid was not even looking to play the archaeologist when he stumbled upon it. Apparently, he merely bent down to wash his hands in the Laozhoulin River in China's Jiangsu Province when he found it.
More precisely, it appears that, while busy cleaning his hand, the 11-year-old boy, named Yang Junxi, felt the metal with the tip of his fingers. After pulling the sword from the water, he took it to his parents. The latter contacted specialists, and soon the weapon was identified as a relic.
The sword's bio
It is believed that the 3,000-year-old sword, which, as mentioned, dates back to the early days of the Chinese civilization, belonged to a civil official who lived during the time of the Shang or Zhou dynasty, Daily Mail informs.
Thus, specialists say that, although the sword was fully functional and able to hurt people in its heydays, it's unlikely that it ever got to witness a battle. Its embellishments indicate that it probably served as no more and no less than a status symbol.
This theory is backed up by the fact that, when compared to the swords used by warriors in China thousands of years ago, this weapon is considerably shorter. Hence, whoever used to carry it around probably hadn't turned the practice of killing people into a career.
What follows this discovery?
Not at all surprisingly, researchers are now making plans to further excavate the basin of China's Laozhoulin River. With a little bit of luck, they might find several other relics in the region.
As far as the 3,000-year-old sword is concerned, word has it that, as soon as experts are done examining it and collecting evidence concerning its history, the weapon will go on display at a local museum.