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THE DEEPEST CUT
Incredible moment Chinese archaeologists dig up a 2,300-YEAR-OLD sword and discover it’s still sharp enough to kill you
Experts found blade in coffin after excavating tomb in ancient city of Chengyang, central Henan Province
THIS is the incredible moment a group of Chinese archaeologists removed an ancient sword from its sheath for the first time in 2,300 years.
Experts uncovered the antique blade during a dig in China’s central Henan Province.
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The archaeologists excavated an ancient tomb belonging to an unknown man in the ruins of Chengyang city.
After taking the coffin to a laboratory and opening it up they found the sword – still in its scabbard.
The mud-caked artefact was painstakingly cleaned up before the experts from the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology carefully unsheathed it in front of the cameras.
Footage shows two men with latex gloves on delicately drawing the sword, which is believed to be from China's Warring States period (475 BC -221 BC).
Amazingly, as the blade emerges into the light for the first time in more than 2,300 years it still appears shiny, glinting back under the lab’s lamps.
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But not only was it clean – to the amazement of the archaeologists it was also still sharp.
A statement from the Institute confirmed their shock at the near-perfect condition of the blade, which had been buried for more than two millennia.
Team leader Wu Zhijiang told the ancient tombs in the region were often completely sealed from the outside world, meaning items in them were less likely to rust.
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The sword, believed to be from the Chu Kingdom, dates back to a period in history when China was divided into eight states.
The small kingdoms fought each other for 250 years until finally one – the Qin – conquered all the others.
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