Art Resource - ART201375

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Banliang coin, Chinese, 3rd century BC. The Chinese inscription reads 'banliang', with 'ban' to the right of the hole and 'liang' to the left. Banliang means 'half-ounce' - the weight of the coin. These coins circulated in the powerful state of Qin during the violent Warring States period (475-221 BC). In 221 BC the victorious Qin Empire was founded. Qin Shi Huangdi, the first emperor of unified China announced that banliang coins would be standard throughout the empire. The shape may be symbolic; it was believed that the earth was square and heaven was round, so Qin Shi Huangdi was placing himself as a direct link between heaven and earth. Or the shape could be strictly functional in terms of production technique; the coins needed to be filed down after casting. With their square hole, a whole stack of these coins could be slid onto a square-shaped rod, and all filed down at the same time.
CM, C4881

Location British Museum/London/Great Britain

Unique Identifier ART201375

Type Image

Purpose Public

Size 4000px × 3747px

Photo Credit Erich Lessing / Art Resource, NY

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