1. (Undated Folder Sheet note) Jade ge 戈 blades of this general type were unearthed at Anyang 安陽, Honan [Henan] 河南 province, in the Shang 商 dynasty Tomb 5. See Zhongguo shehui kexueyuan kaogu yanjiusuo 中國社會科學院考古研究所, Yinxu Fu Hao mu 殷墟婦好墓 (Beijing: Wenwu chubanshe, 1980), color pl. 17: 1--2, pls. 107--11.
2. (Stephen Allee per Keith Wilson, June 17, 2008) As per Jenny F. So, Jade Project Database, changed Period one from "Shang 商 dynasty" to "Late Shang 商 dynasty"; changed Date from "13--12th centuries BCE" to "12th--11th century BCE." Changed Object Name from "Weapon: dagger-axe (ge 戈) blade" to "Ceremonial object." Added Dimensions (blade) per Christine Lee, from Jade Project Database.
3. (Jeffrey Smith per Keith Wilson, July 16, 2008) Ceremonial object added as secondary classification.
4. (Najiba Choudhury per Keith Wilson, August 16, 2017) Title changed from "Dagger-axe (ge)" to "Dagger axe (ge 戈), fragment reworked"; period one changed from "Late Shang dynasty" to "Erlitou culture or early Shang dynasty"; date changed from "ca. 12th-11th century BCE" to "ca. 2000-ca. 1400 BCE"; geography changed from "China" to "China, probably Henan province"; changed medium from "Jade with traces of cinnabar" to "Jade (nephrite)"; dimensions changed from "H x W x D: 39.2 x 10.9 x 0.6 cm (15 7/16 x 4 5/16 x 1/4 in)" to "H x W x D: 10.9 x 39.2 x 0.6 cm (4 5/16 x 15 7/16 x 1/4 in)".
5. (Najiba Choudhury per Keith Wilson, January 31, 2019) Added Chinese translation by Jingmin Zhang; added the following to the description field, "This jade ge blade is beveled along the upper and lower edges; the bevels end in an outward-curving edge. The tip of the blade is not beveled but has sloping faces. A prominent median crest runs from the tip of the blade to the two conical perforations drilled from one side of the tang. The butt end of the tang is decorated with five pairs of serrations. (Minor nicks; ink [?] stain near tip.)"; and added past label text by Thomas Lawton from the exhibition, In Praise of Ancestors, September 28, 1987-January 5, 1989.
Usage conditions apply
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.