![]() Photo: art-and-archaeology.com |
![]() Photo: art-and-archaeology.com |
![]() Photo: Ancient Sichuan: Treasures, p. 151 |
Sanxingdui Museum
These blades represent two extremes of the zhang type, ranging from the slant-point tip on the left (54 cm, 21 in) to the forked tip in the middle (28 cm, 11 in). Whatever their origins may be, we do know that these jade implements were held upright by a kneeling person in ritual. This is demonstrated by one, and only one, bronze in all of China: a tiny Sanxingdui statue (5 cm, 2 in), photo right. Various miniature zhang were also found at the site; their use is unknown.
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