This 2,500-year-old Chinese sword looks like "something from the J.R.R. Tolkien universe that has entered the actual historical record"

A 2,500-year-old Chinese sword discovered in 1965 remains razor-sharp and pristine today, seemingly defying the natural laws of decay that typically ravage ancient bronze weapons.

The Sword of Goujian, named after a legendary Chinese king, emerged from a waterlogged tomb in China's Hubei Province looking as lethal as the day it was crafted. Its secrets lie in its sophisticated metallurgy — scientists at Fudan University discovered that ancient craftsmen created the blade using different metal compositions for different purposes. "The body of the blade is mainly copper for flexibility, while the edges have more tin content for hardness and sharpness," the researchers found.

"I still can't quite believe this is real," says Benjamin Brren of ResObscura. "It's like something from the J.R.R. Tolkien universe that has entered the actual historical record. (Look at those gold-inlaid ideographs!)"

The 55.6-centimeter weapon bears eight characters written in Bird-worm seal script, an intricate variant of ancient Chinese writing. After months of analysis, experts concluded the inscription reads "King of Yue made this sword for [his] personal use," identifying it as belonging to King Goujian, a ruler famous for his perseverance through hardship.

The sword's perfect preservation ended in 1994 during a Sino-Singapore cultural exchange. "A workman accidentally banged the weapon while withdrawing it from its case," reported the South China Morning Post, resulting in a 7-millimeter crack. China has since forbidden the sword from leaving the country, placing it on their list of protected cultural relics in 2018.

Previously:
Run a pixel art sword shop
How Mirka Got Her Sword: Charming graphic novel for kids and adults