Ceremonial dagger

This dagger, known as a ge, has a blade on one end and the ornament of a large-beaked, crested head of a bird on the other. The details of the bird’s head are in relief. In between the bird’s head and blade is an asymmetrically placed tang through which the dagger would have been horizontally attached to a wooden pole. The bronze ge was one of the principal weapons in the late Shang dynasty. The fact that they were buried in tombs with ritual bronzes suggests that they also served a ceremonial purpose.