Archaeologists discover a rare fish-scale armor from a 2,000-year-old Chinese tomb

Researchers from the Cultural Relics and Archeology Research Institute of Jiangxi Province in China have discovered the remains of an intricately sized shield recovered from a tomb dating back more than 2,000 years during the Han Dynasty.

The unusual armor is composed of multiple materials, making it the first of its kind documented from the Han Dynasty, the institute announced on December 7, as reported Xinhua News Agency.

The tomb belongs to Liu He, Prince Wu He inherited the imperial throne of the Western Han Dynasty (202 BC to 25 AD) for only 27 days before he was deposed (although he was not killed). At the time of his death years later, he was known as the Marquess of Haihon. Archaeologists discovered him Well preserved tomb In Jiangxi Province, eastern China, in 2011.

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Two years ago, archaeologists discovered armor scales (also known as plates) along with knives and swords in a pile in the tomb’s armory room, according to History blog. Due to the remains of the paint – a hard, shiny paint – archaeologists hypothesized that the armor was originally packed in now-decomposed lacquer boxes.

“Haihunhu Tomb was exposed to earthquakes and the rising groundwater level due to the expansion of the Poyang Lake area, so the armor fragments were in a fragile state,” said Yang Jun of the Jiangxi Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archeology and head of the excavation team. The team that discovered the tomb said Xinhua News Agency. Over the course of two years, the team — including researchers from the Institute of Archeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and several other institutions — extracted 6,000 armor scales and brought them to the laboratory for analysis and restoration.

The shield was distinguished by its distinctive size and the materials used in its scales. According to Bai Rongjin of the Institute of Archeology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Han Dynasty shield scales are typically 0.39 to 3.94 inches (4 to 10 centimeters) wide. The smaller the gauges, the more is needed, requiring greater skill to craft such a precise piece of equipment.

However, he explained, “the smallest piece of armor” from the tomb of the Marquis of Haihun “is about 1 cm wide and 0.2 cm thick, making it the smallest piece of fish-shaped armor excavated during archaeological investigations at Han Dynasty ruins.” In addition, archaeologists discovered that the armor was made of multiple materials, including iron, copper, and leather. This is also unusual, as Rongjin pointed out that Han Dynasty armor was usually composed of a single material. In fact, scales are the only documented example of armor made from multiple materials from the Han Dynasty.

The armor ultimately represents a stunning example of Han dynasty military equipment, and reflects the excellent level of armor production that existed in the region at the time. This may indicate that although Liu He was disgraced during his life, he was buried with honor.