Gold Forked Ceremonial Weapon, List#43

Narrator

Forked blades made of gold foil like this one appear at both Sanxingdui and Jinsha. So do ones made of bronze and jade. The shape of the blade is not unique to these sites, but it is very rare anywhere else.

Suzanne Cahill

It's clearly a ceremonial weapon. It would be quite inefficient to try to cut somebody with a piece of gold foil. Also that forked end doesn't seem to serve any practical purpose in a weapon.

Narrator

A bronze figure found at Sanxingdui of a headless kneeling man holds a similar blade above his head. [SFX][Image]

Some of the unearthed blades have serrated edges and others feature tiny figures, such as a bird, resting in the joint of the blade. What could such a beautiful, yet flimsy knife have been used for?

Suzanne Cahill

People have just suggested that it's something that's more heraldic; something you would hold as a symbol of authority. And I think that recent scholarship suggests that it's based on a weapon shape, but it's been altered. And it has now become something that has ritual or symbolic use.