Twelve Metal Colossi
| Dates of Conquered States | |
|---|---|
| Year | Event |
| 230 BC |
|
| 228 BC |
|
| 225 BC |
|
| 223 BC |
|
| 222 BC |
|
| 221 BC |
|
12 Jin Ren (Chinese:十二金人) were twelve huge bronze Colossi made after 221 BC by the order of Shihuangdi, the first Emperor of China. During the Qin's wars of unification, Shihuangdi defeated the six major states of China: the Han, the Zhao, the Wei, the Chu, the Yan, and the Qi. After the wars, he collected the weapons of the conquered states and had them cast into statues.[1]
Fate
Dong Zhuo, in his efforts to finance a personal castle in Mei County near Chang'an, around AD 190 melted bronze items such as bells and statues, including nine of the Colossi,[2] and recast them into coins. This influx of bronze coins flooded the market and caused a serious inflation, rendering the currency useless.
See also
References
- ↑ 收天下兵，聚之咸阳，销以为钟镣，金人十二，各重千石，置廷宫中.Records of the Grand Historian (rendering: collect the weapons of tianxia, to amass them to Xianyang, melt them to cast 12 colossus, each weighs thousand Dan (mass unit), and put them in the palace)
- ↑ 西汉五铢
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