Warring States Period

Length: 9.5cm   Height: 4.4cm   Thickness: 0.7cm

Unearthed from the Southern Suburbs of Xian City in 1973

The tiger tally was designed to be split in half. The Emperor held the right half, whilst governor or general in Du county held the other half. It was used exclusively to mobilize armies in ancient China. The left half of the tally is in the shape of a walking tiger. When fitted together with the right half, a troop unit of more than 50 soldiers could be dispatched. It was the symbol of highly centralized military leadership in Qin Dynasty.