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Xi Zhou Western Zhou
| Issuer | Western Zhou, State of |
|---|---|
| Year | 350 BC - 220 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Cast |
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| Obverse description | Cast bronze round coin (huan qian) with a central circular perforation. The obverse features two archaic Chinese characters in raised relief flanking the central hole, positioned at the left and right fields respectively, rendered in an early seal script style. The coin exhibits a raised rim on both the inner and outer edges, with a flat, unadorned field between the inscriptions. The surfaces show characteristic casting texture with natural patination consistent with ancient bronze coinage of the Warring States period. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
A chronological note worth making: Western Zhou as a dynastic period ended in 771 BC, making the assigned date range here almost certainly a reference to the later rump state — the Zhou royal domain reduced to a minor territorial holding centered near Luoyi, existing largely at the sufferance of the surrounding Warring States powers. By the fourth and third centuries BC, the Zhou kings retained ritual prestige but negligible political authority. Hartill 6.14 places this spade-form currency within the final phase of that diminished state, which was formally extinguished by Qin in 256 BC.