Dagger-axe

The dagger-axe (Chinese: 戈; pinyin: gē; Wade–Giles: ko) is a type of polearm that was in use from the Longshan culture until the Han dynasty in China.

Later versions of the ji, starting in the Spring and Autumn period, combined the dagger-axe blade and spear head into a single piece.

By the Warring States period, large masses of infantry fighting in close ranks using the spear or ji had displaced the small groups of aristocrats on foot or mounted in chariots who had previously dominated the battlefield.

Sometimes they are found in a pit dug beneath a coffin, with a victim who was sacrificed to guard the tomb, where they presumably are intended to keep the spirit-guard armed.

Although the jade examples do not appear to have been intended for use in actual combat, their morphology closely imitates that of the battle-ready bronze version, including a sharp central ridge which reinforces the blade.