Types of Gold and Silver Wares from the Han Dynasty

The Han Dynasty, which lasted from 202 BCE to 220 CE, spanned over four hundred years and was a vigorous, unified feudal empire. At its peak, the dynasty enjoyed immense national strength and a thriving socio-economic environment. During the Han period, gold and silver vessels and artifacts—symbols of wealth, status, and glory—grew increasingly widespread in their use, with an ever-expanding variety that touched upon many aspects of social life.

Generally speaking, jewelry remains the most common type of gold and silver artifacts, while gold and silver vessels are relatively rare, and containers made entirely of pure gold are even less frequently encountered. To date, among the gold and silver artifacts unearthed in archaeological excavations from the Han Dynasty, most are made of silver—silver bowls, plates, pitchers, and boxes have been discovered in various regions.

The general forms of these artifacts are relatively simple, and most of them have plain surfaces. According to the published archaeological findings, Han Dynasty gold and silver artifacts—based on their functions—can be broadly categorized into five main types: decorative items, everyday utensils, gold and silver coins, seals, and medical instruments. Among these, the decorative category is further divided into jewelry and horse-and-chariot ornaments.

One: Decorative parts

I. Jewelry Items

Wearing gold and silver jewelry had already become a fashion during the Han Dynasty; rings, finger rings, bracelets, beaded necklaces, and various types of gold and silver ornaments were found in large quantities in Han Dynasty tombs.

II. Vehicle and Horse Ornaments

Twelve silver horse masks were unearthed from the Han Dynasty tomb in Mancheng, Hebei Province.

Thirty-five silver horse ornaments, including hoof-shaped animal heads and animal faces, were unearthed from cliff tombs on Jiulong Mountain in Qufu, Shandong Province.

Sixty-seven pieces of honey-gold chariot and horse fittings were unearthed from the accompanying burial pit of the tomb of King Wu of Qi in Linli, Shandong.

The No. 2 chariot was unearthed from the tomb of the King of Jibei of the Western Han Dynasty in Changqing, Shandong. Most of the bronze components on this chariot were gilded.

Second: Household items

Silver and gold household utensils have also been frequently discovered in Han Dynasty tombs, especially practical silver bowls, silver plates, and silver basins. During the Han Dynasty, people held the belief that "using silver and gold as tableware could ensure immortality." Consequently, silver-based practical utensils were widely used throughout the Han Dynasty.

In the early Western Han Dynasty, four everyday utensils were unearthed from the accompanying burial pits of the tomb of King Qi of Dawu in Linliu, Shandong. These included three gilded silver plates decorated with floral patterns and one silver box. The three silver plates are exquisitely crafted and lavishly adorned; among them, the largest plate was made in the late Warring States period, while the two smaller ones date back to the early Western Han Dynasty. The three plates share similar shapes, sizes, and decorative motifs: their rims feature wavy and floral-leaf patterns, while both the inner and outer surfaces of the bowls are decorated with geometric cloud patterns. The inner bottoms of the plates display a design featuring three intertwined dragon-and-cloud motifs connected by parallel lines, with two concentric bands of cord patterns running between these motifs—a composition that is ingeniously arranged.

All three plates are inscribed with texts in three different scripts: ancient Chinese script, Qin clerical script, and early Han-period Qi script. These inscriptions provide valuable insights for studying the evolution of ancient writing systems as well as the processes involved in the making, collecting, and transmission of these plates. The silver box is bean-shaped, featuring a high, circular foot and an octagonal bronze base. Its lid is adorned with three bronze animal knobs that are riveted in place; the surrounding area and the body of the box are decorated with raised lotus-petal motifs.

Third: Gold and silver coins

During the Han Dynasty, gold coins were widely used, with the jin serving as the unit of measurement. Based on archaeological findings, the main forms of Han Dynasty gold coins included gold cakes, horseshoe-shaped gold pieces, linzhi gold pieces, and gold wuzhu coins. Among these, the circular cake-shaped coin was the predominant type, known as "bingjin" or "jinbing." According to statistics, most of the Han Dynasty gold cakes discovered through archaeology have been unearthed from tombs—many of them from the tombs of feudal lords and kings. These round gold cakes typically have diameters of around 5 to 6 centimeters and weigh approximately 250 grams. Most of these gold cakes are inscribed with characters or symbols.

Fourth: Gold and Silver Seals

The Two Han period marked an important stage in the development of Chinese seals. In recent years, archaeological excavations have unearthed numerous Han seals made of gold and silver. According to the author’s statistics, there are currently extant gold seals and silver seals from the Two Han period, including one gold seal discovered in Japan and one silver seal found in Korea. Due to their precious nature, gold and silver seals accounted for only a small proportion of Han-era seals; most were official seals, though some private seals have also been passed down through history.

—, Official Seal

The official seals used by the government were collectively referred to as “mi” during the pre-Qin period. After the Qin dynasty unified the six states, a distinction was first made between “xi,” which was reserved exclusively for emperors and kings, and “yin,” which could be used by both officials and private individuals. Throughout successive dynasties, official seals followed specific regulations designed to differentiate among various official ranks and signify hierarchical status. During the Han dynasty, the system of official seals inherited the Qin model: those used by the emperor, empress, and feudal princes were called “xi,” while those used by marquises, chancellors, grand commanders, generals stationed at the four cardinal directions, local lords of villages and towns, subordinates of generals, and magistrates of prefectures and counties were all designated as “yin.” Seals used by generals were called “zhang.”

II. Private Seal

Private seals were used for personal purposes. During the Han dynasty, in addition to names, seal inscriptions often included auspicious phrases, place of origin, courtesy names, and auxiliary characters such as “zhi yin,” “si yin,” and “xin yin.” The designs of the seal knobs were remarkably diverse, fully reflecting the ingenuity of Han-era artisans. Among private seals from both the Western and Eastern Han dynasties, those with plain script (baiwen) remained predominant. In the Western Han, most seals were carved by chiseling, whereas in the Eastern Han, both cast and chiseled seals were common. To this day, private seals made of gold and silver have been relatively seldom discovered.

Fifth: Medical devices

Few gold and silver medical instruments have been unearthed from Han Dynasty tombs:

Four gold medical needles were unearthed from the tomb of Liu Sheng, the Prince Jing of Zhongshan of the Western Han Dynasty, located in Mancheng, Hebei Province. These needles are slender and elongated, with a handle at the upper end; the cross-section of the handle is square, while the lower part forms the needle shaft itself. A tiny hole is drilled at the upper end of the handle. According to the "Huangdi Neijing," which describes the Nine Needles, these medical needles should correspond to one tin needle, one sharp needle, and two fine needles.