Guarded Lance and Lance Guard

Top to bottom:

GUARD FROM A GUARDED LANCE (SHA)

Reportedly discovered in Sianfu, Shaanxi province
Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE)
Inventory number: XLIX:I:A.g.01.
Dimensions: 18.6 x 7 cm

This W-shaped guard is a larger version of the guard of the sword below (XLIX:I:A.g.03.). The blade that would have once slotted through the guard would have been rather long, making this weapon essentially a sword on a pole. The loop attached to the middle of one side of the guard may have been used to secure a horsetail tassel with which to distract the opponent from the blade itself.

GUARDED LANCE (SHA)

Reportedly discovered in Sianfu, Shaanxi province
Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE)
Inventory number: XLIX:I:A.g.03.
Dimensions: 28 x 10.7 cm

With a narrow blade slotted through a slight W-shaped guard, this type of weapon would have been attached to a long pole. The blade and guard were cast separately. Its blade was effective for both puncturing with the tip and cutting with the edge. There is a loop in the middle of one side of the guard. A tassel made from horsehair may have been attached from the loop, which could act as a distraction from the blade itself for the opponent.