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Primary sourceArtifact221-207 BCE

Qin State Large Bronze Weight, Shaanxi Provincial Museum

221-207 BCE

A large bronze weight from the Qin state, part of the standardized measurement system used across the empire of Qin Shi Huang.

This large weight reflects the standardized measures Qin Shi Huang established across the Qin empire.

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A dark, glossy, dome-shaped bronze object resting on a grey display surface. It has a rounded top with an oval recessed opening and a raised ridge, and faint incised marks are visible on its left side.
Qin state bronze weight, 221-207 BCE. Shaanxi Provincial Museum.

About this source

What it is

This is a large bronze weight from the Qin state, photographed in the Qin Gallery of the Shaanxi Provincial Museum. It is dome-shaped with a rounded top and a raised ridge, and shows faint incised marks.

Why it matters

As part of Qin Shi Huang's reforms, standard weights like this were distributed throughout the empire so that merchants and officials in different regions used the same measurements. This object is physical evidence of how unification was carried out at a practical, everyday level.

Look closer

  • What does the size of this weight suggest about what it may have been used to measure?
  • What can you tell from the faint marks on its surface?
  • Why would controlling weights and measures matter to someone trying to rule a huge new empire?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Emperor Qin Shi Huang on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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