CROSSBOW MECHANISM

Description This heavy piece has the classic shape of Chinese crossbow devices, and reveals the precision of the mechanics associated with Han-era armament. The mechanism, inserted in a box, comprises of three pieces assembled by means of two spikes that cross it transversely. On the side of the box between the two square heads of the spikes, an inscription was engraved after the casting. It is only partially legible, but the first characters provide a date: “Fifth year of the Yongyuan era”, corresponding to 93 CE. The top of the box, at the height of the viewfinder, also bears a three-character engraving: “Dunhuang Reserves”. The crossbow was invented in China in the 4th century BCE, more than a thousand years earlier than in Europe. It is composed of an arch mounted transversely on a shaft, with the mechanism inserted at the bottom of the shaft itself.