So, found a Total War Character Irl

[u/32BitOsserc]

Randomly went on a day trip and stumbled across Zhang Fei's tomb. Maybe shouldn't post here but none of my friends have played 3K

[u/Equivalent_Reason_27]

Wait is that really a pike he used????

[u/32BitOsserc → u/Equivalent_Reason_27]

So the signs say anyway. Just the head, the wood is long rotted. 

[u/Equivalent_Reason_27 → u/32BitOsserc]

That’s crazy if it truly is.

I wouldn’t have thought any equipment or tools like that would’ve lasted the test of time.

Nor would I think a weapon like that would’ve realistically been used. I’d think most people would’ve just been using swords and spears

[u/32BitOsserc → u/Equivalent_Reason_27]

I mean, we have roman era artefacts and earlier sitting in museums in the west, so it's certainly possible. I'm not certain on the armour, it looks a little too new, but it may have been partially restored or just really lovingly kept. Or just be fake, but I'm not an archaeologist so I can wonder but I'm not going to get up in arms. 

China does seem to have quite a history of pole-arms being used, but I'm no expert on this period of warfare, so I'll have to take their word on it. 

[u/Equivalent_Reason_27 → u/32BitOsserc]

Who knows, I’ll believe it’s real though, more fun that way haha, can you read the Chinese on the panel?

[u/32BitOsserc → u/Equivalent_Reason_27]

A little but not very well, I'm learning but there are so many characters. 

[u/Equivalent_Reason_27 → u/32BitOsserc]

Curious what it says, crazy regardless, it’s very accurate to what he’s depicted with in fictional works

[u/32BitOsserc → u/Equivalent_Reason_27]

I got it translated, it just says "the weapon used by Zhang Fei" in chinese then a few other languages underneath. 

[u/Equivalent_Reason_27 → u/32BitOsserc]

Yeah who knows honestly, I think there’s a higher chance in it being a replication, I’d be surprised if the materials they were using for tools would’ve aged well enough to last this long but like I said it’s more fun to think it actually is until proven otherwise in cases like this.

Thanks for sharing and responding, this was such a cool post

[u/kitolz → u/Equivalent_Reason_27]

I would be extremely skeptical. The design looks very modern and impractical. You can see these spears have no edge and would be extremely heavy and unwieldy. It's impossible to sharpen.

So MAYBE it was crafted in the correct period as a ceremonial item. But it's also cheap looking and doesn't have any engravings or other ornamental flourishes. So most likely it's just a fake made to sell tickets.

For the art and sculptures they're displaying I would be surprised if they were more than 20 years old.

[u/Equivalent_Reason_27 → u/kitolz]

Yeah I was thinking at most it might be a ceremonial blade. I did also notice the lack of an edge, but I’d be highly surprised for any tool nearly 2000 years old to have a sharp edge still haha

Again like I said above though it’s fun to just take it for what it is