Neolithic sword found in SW China

[Bill M]

"Be aware that this article was likely written by someone who got the
facts confused after interviewing the archaeologists. The artifacts
recovered span a very large range of time, from the neolithic to the
Han. Ba culture willow leaf blades date concurrent with the Zhou
Dynasty and are definitely not neolithic.

Willow leaf blades with a tapering tang, crafted by the Ba culture,
are generally believed to have first appeared during the early
Western Zhou Dynasty (c. 1111-770 BCE). Examples have been found
dating as late as the Warring States period of the Eastern Zhou
Dynasty (c. 453-221 BCE). The term "Bashu" is often applied to
artifacts of this type, since the Ba and Shu cultures came to be
closely linked, particularly during the Eastern Zhou, and some of
their artifacts are similar in design. In reality, Ba willow leaf
blades can generally be distinguished from Shu weapons by the taper
at the tang, but the term Bashu has stuck in common reference.

Cheers,
Mel "