Posted on 03/24/2015 7:21:49 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
Archaeologists have recently discovered the most complete ancient crossbow to date in the terracotta army pit one in Xi'an, Shaanxi province.
Among hundreds of pieces of crossbows unearthed in the past, this one is said to be the best-preserved in general, with a 145cm arch and a 130cm bow string. The bow string has a smooth surface which experts believe to be made from animal tendon instead of fabric and the trigger mechanism is made of bronze, according to Shen Maosheng, head of the archaeological team.
Shen also points out that this new discovery sheds light on how Qing, two wooden sticks usually discovered alongside the weapon, were used to maintain and transport the crossbows in ancient times. Although ancient documents often mentioned Qing, its function had never been clearly identified until this recent discovery.
"When we dusted off the sticks, we found three holes equidistant from each other and concluded that they were probably used to hang up ropes that fastened the crossbows when they were not in use," Shen said.
"It was a great way to keep the arch and string in shape and thus maintain their power in the long run. Besides, Qing was practical to help fix the crossbows during transportation."
The best crossbows' shooting range could double that of an AK47, reaching almost 800m, Yuan Zhongyi, former curator of Museum of Qin Terra-cotta Warriors told Huashang Daily.
The discovery of the complete set of crossbows will help scientists to create the most precise model of the weapon and calculate its shooting range more accurately.
(Excerpt) Read more at ecns.cn ...
A view of a complete crossbow relic found during the third excavation of the number one pit of the Qin terracotta warriors and horses in Xi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi province. Archaeologists said it is the first time a complete crossbow has been found in the pit. The excavation also uncovered a qing, a tool to adjust the crossbow and keep it from deforming. The tool is mentioned in historical records but was previously unseen. (Photo: China News Service/Zhang Tianzhu)
Cool!
Darryl is that you?
“I shot an arrow in the air.
It came to earth in China.”
Just doesn’t work.
When I go to the Cleveland Museum, I love to look at the collection of armor and crossbows.
That stuff IS art. It’s amazing how much detail they achieved with the low tech they had.
Those cross bows are really beautiful... so is the armor.
Curiously, the armor looks really small... those guys must have been undernourished or else tall people were not the norm.
Why, because I’m worn as the toothbrush hanging in the stand?
I remember when I was a kid (growing up in San Diego), someone unearthed chest armor worn by a conquistador. I believe it was around the Cabrillo Monument. I remember my Dad telling me it would have fit me rather well. I was about ten at the time. At one time they had a life-sized replica of one of Columbus’ ships, the Pinta, I believe. I remember it being remarkably tiny, and I thought it amazing these men sailed the Atlantic in one. I was told by one of the staff at the time, it was because people were simply not very big back then.
An AK's only good for a quarter mile shot? Who knew?
I remember reading that when Americans arrived in Europe at the time of the first war, Europeans were stunned at their height and generally robust physique.
GI’s looked like giants in comparison to the average European. It was a very marked difference. One author said 'the scariest thing in the world for our enemies to see was a 6 ft. + GI, climbing out of a tank, with the full knowledge that there were thousands more just like him on the way'.
It's something to think about when in BOTH wars, Europeans were STILL undersized compared to the average GI and it can be credited to diet.
Even GI’s from ‘impoverished’, rural areas in the US were distinctly well nourished, better developed and had obviously always enjoyed better nutrition, compared to most Europeans.
I've read that the same happened when the Roman troops first encountered the fellas from the Northern European tribes, the Roman troops were near panic at the size contrast. The Romans prevailed only because of their organization and regimentation, etc.
BTW, the Germans are the largest ethnic group to immigrate to the USA.
I shot an arrow in the air
Where it falls I do not care
I buy my arrows wholesale (from China!)
The children of that time are anywhere from six to eight inches taller then their parents.
A diet rich in iodine, usually done by adding iodine to salt, will cause a dramatic drop in kids who are born mentally retarded.
Diet has much to do with how people grow.
“Diet has much to do with how people grow. “
Short Europeons sure got taller after coming here and having access to RED MEAT ???
Years ago I went to the Metropolitan Museum in NYC. They had a display on knights in armor on life sized horses. The horses were carved out of wood.
The display was set up as they were charging at each other. Pretty impressive stuff.
But the big thing was probably beans, corn and squash. Easy to grow and easy to store they could keep you fed year around with complete proteins and lots of vitamins. Add in a couple of pigs for fat and some more protein and you had a diet that would make you grow. If you could fit in a cow for milk so much the better.
Compared to the diet of the old world which was wheat based and lacked variety for the poor it is not surprising that they grew taller and stronger.
Cool.
I heard something along these lines from an old boss of mine who was from Norway. He was a kid during WWII and said his first sighting of an American (a pilot) was like he was seeing “a god walking among us.” Of course, he was a little kid, but his description of how he experienced it gave me goose bumps.
There’s something on its qing.
Some years ago I read an article about suits of armor and why it appears that knights were so much smaller back in the day. According to the author, this is a false perception. The reason there are so many smaller surviving examples is that they were the exception and not the rule. Most of the “normal sized” suits were used up and recycled, etc. So, what we end up with is either really small examples or really large examples (like the armor of Henry VIII in his later days when he had gotten so fat.) It’s kind of like going to a store to buy men’s trousers a day or so into a sale. The selection is picked over and you mostly have the really small or really large waist sizes/inseams left.
Having said that, it’s true that nutrition has played a roll in increasing the height of humans, but humans from centuries ago weren’t that much smaller than the average human now.
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