Tomb of Chinese emperor Liu He gives up Han dynasty battle secrets with armour find

6,000 multi-material armour scales represent a first for Han dynasty discoveries and are also ‘the smallest ever unearthed’ from the era

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The 6,000 composite armour scales found in the tomb of Liu He offer valuable insights into Han dynasty craftsmanship. Photo: CCTV

Published: 6:29pm, 8 Dec 2024Updated: 1:53am, 9 Dec 2024

Chinese archaeologists have reconstructed 6,000 composite armour scales unearthed from the tomb of Liu He – the deposed ninth emperor of the Han dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD) – in the first discovery of its kind from the era.

The armour scales were found in China’s eastern province of Jiangxi, where the main tomb of Liu He was unearthed about a decade ago.

They were made from a mix of iron, copper, and leather bound with lacquer, the Jiangxi Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology told state news agency Xinhua on Saturday.

Such evidence of a multi-material, composite approach to armour-making, in contrast to the typical single-material armours, is unprecedented in Han dynasty archaeology, according to Bai Rongjin, a veteran armour restoration expert from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS).

Each armour scale or plate from the find is just 1cm (0.39 inch) wide and 0.2cm thick, making them “the smallest armour scales ever unearthed from the Han dynasty”, Bai said, adding that smaller pieces would demand more intricate forging and assembly techniques.

Han dynasty scales were typically 4cm to 10cm wide, Bai said. Even the finely crafted armour scales from the tomb of Liu Sheng, a prince of the Western Han empire (202 BC – AD9), were 2cm to 3cm wide – much larger than those from Liu He’s armour. Liu Sheng’s tomb was discovered in northern Hebei province in 1968.

Liu He, later renamed as the Marquis of Haihun, was briefly installed as emperor in 74BC by the powerful minister Huo Guang, being dethroned just 27 days later. Some historical records show he was deposed because of misconduct as an emperor. However, his tomb near Jiangxi’s capital Nanchang has proved to be a treasure trove of artefacts.