FOR CENTURIES IN ancient China, the chariot was a key weapon, and those who rode in them were a military elite. Charioteers killed in battle were often buried with their chariots, weapons and even horses.
An exhibition of Bronze Age artefacts uncovered from such graves, titled Ancient Chinese Weapons, provides a glimpse into the lives of the nobility over about 1,500 years, as well as the skill of the metal-workers who forged the pieces and decorated them with intricate carving and inlaid gold calligraphy.
The exhibition at the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence in Shau Kei Wan ranges mainly across the Shang (1600-1027BC) Zhou (1027-221BC) and Qin dynasties (221-207BC).
'The weapons were very decorative,' says Stephen Selby, an expert on ancient weaponry and archery who has provided 80 items for the show. 'They were a badge of office for the nobility and were often used as gifts to visiting dignitaries. If an important person was killed or captured in war, his sword would be taken as booty.'
Dagger axes, bronze spearheads, short swords and knifes were used as weapons, but they were also status symbols. Some were said to possess mystic qualities, and would accompany a man into the afterlife.
Many weapons also bear inscriptions, not all of which have been deciphered.