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Message:: [QUOTE="AnYangMan, post: 2973796, member: 87271"]Hey! I recognise that exact knife! You must have bought it from Belgium, right? Or did it pass through multiple hands before reaching you? I helped the previous owner get it, a bit sad he already sold it, but glad it ended up in the collection of someone who will truly appreciate it! If you want, I have a bit more provenance to it <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie2" alt=";)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />. Do you have the XRF data for example? That being said, it’s absolutely gorgeous [USER=75799]@Loong Siew[/USER]! And even though the Boshan knives (except the multi-character obverse ones, like yours) are slightly less rare than they used to be, you still definitely don’t see them every day. While I am somewhat sceptical of the theory presented in Hartill and related literature, these knives do form a perfect hybrid between the Ming- and Qi- knives. The problem is that some still mention the Qi-state on their reverse. The period that is referred to in Hartill is the Yan invasion of Qi-territory, not the other way around. It started in 300 BC, with the rule of king Min of Qi. The Histories tell us that he was apparently deemed a very inept and incompetent ruler, who executed those that criticised him and his plans on sight. In 286 BC he thought up a brilliant plan. Well …uh.., at least he himself thought it was brilliant. He attacked and annexed the small state of Song. Surprisingly, his plan actually worked, and Song was no more after his invasion. He decided it was to be his year and attacked the armies of the larger state of Chu as well. Somehow this also worked. But there was a giant pitfall. His army became exhausted and thin-spread across his newly conquered regions. King Zhao, of the northerly situated Yan state, a far more competent ruler, saw this and devised a masterplan. His armies would quickly advance without any opposition into Qi territory and once and for all destroy the state of Qi. King Min and his armies had to withdraw from their newly conquered territories to save what was left of their initial state, leaving the land they gained in the expedition to be reclaimed by the Chu state. They raced back to Qi-lands, but failed to do so in time. Their capital city of Linzi had already been sacked and in the end, only two cities remained under their control: Jimo (famous for issuing the four character Qi-knife) and Lu (if the reading of your coin is correct, the city where it was minted!). King Min died in 284 BC. How exactly this happened is unknown to us, but most histories mention that the ‘severely unhappy’ Qi-generals executed him for his incompetence somewhere in the city of Lu (where this knife was most likely minted!). Anyway, after the death of king Min in 284 BC, the great reconquering could begin. But firstly, they had to repel the advancing Yan army, set on destroying the Qi state once and for all. The battle that followed is arguably one of the most well-known battles of the warring states era: the Siege of Jimo in 279 BC. Not famous for its size or its many heroes, but rather for the unorthodox tactic employed by the Qi general Tian Dan. He waited till darkness fell upon the camp of the Yan-soldiers that laid siege to the city. The day before, several of his troops had dug passages underneath the city walls, and had assembled more than a thousand oxen roaming the city. Then he had his men dress these oxen in brightly coloured silk, attach sharp daggers to their head and put burning twigs on their tail. That night he had his man drive these oxen, now somewhat resembling dragons, underneath these passages and charge into the Yan encampment. At the same time the citizens in the besieged city would shout, drum and hit cauldrons, creating a thundering and ear-deafening noise. Naturally, this created a panic and the Yan soldiers were completely overrun, their general killed. The Qi army, now under the command of Tian Dan, would continue to advance until all the seventy cities they lost to Yan in the previous seven years were returned to their state. (Naturally, there has been some debate amongst scholars about the truthfulness of this account. I don’t blame them...) So how would these knives fit into this history? Traditionally, they been attributed to Yan in the Qi-territory that got conquered and was occupied between 284 and 279 BC, mainly on the basis of the Boshan Ming-knives. But this theory, in my opinion, has two major flaws. Firstly, Boshan Ming knives have more than a few reverses. The majority remain undeciphered, but some are very similar in design to the obverse of the bigger three and four character knives. They mention that the coin in question is ‘Qi-legal currency’, quite an impressive indicator for their caster: the Qi state. Secondly, well, this coin. As said, Ju was not conquered by Yan! So if the reading of this knife is indeed correct, they can’t have been issued by Yan and must have been issued by Qi. But why would Qi issue Ming-knives, the main currency of a state with which they were at war? Tribute? But if this is the case, why such an extensive series? Knives from all sizes and shapes are known. [USER=78244]@TypeCoin971793[/USER] for example has a tiny example, possibly even a funeral specimen. And why the large variation of inscriptions? And does that explain the find locations? They have since been excavated in both Shandong and Hebei province, which would indicate a further spread then initially thought, but I don’t have exact locations or a size of the ‘hoards’ excavated. So many questions, so little answers <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie2" alt=";)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />. So without any additional evidence, I am a little sceptical of this theory. They obviously relate to some sort of Yan – Qi interaction, and the events between 284 and 179 BC could very well fit the bill. But so would interstate trade, right? A fascinating series to say the least, hopefully further archaeological research will gives us a little insight in the matter. That being said, let me just congratulate you on the excellent purchase once again! Truly a numismatic treasure. To finish my post: My humble example, a Boshan Ming knife, with no clearly legible reverse. The character has been tooled a little to stand out and the tip is broken, but I got I cheaply as a result: [ATTACH=full]730219[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]

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