The Spear of Fuchai is purportedly the spear

Spear

A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head.The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with bamboo spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastened to the shaft, such as flint, obsidian, iron, steel or...

 of King Fuchai of Wu

Wu (state)

The State of Wu , also known as Gou Wu or Gong Wu , was one of the vassal states during the Western Zhou Dynasty and the Spring and Autumn Period. The State of Wu was located at the mouth of the Yangtze River east of the State of Chu. Considered a semi-barbarian state by ancient Chinese...

, the arch-rival of King Goujian of Yue

Yue (state)

Yue was a state in China which existed during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period , in the modern province of Zhejiang. During the Spring and Autumn Period, its capital was in Guiji , near the modern city of Shaoxing...

. It was unearthed in Jiangling, Hubei

Hubei

' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...

 in November 1983. The script on it is a kind of script used only in the states of Wu

Wu

Wu may refer to:Places:* Wu , a region in China, associated with:** Wu Chinese, a variety of spoken Chinese spoken in the Wu region** Wu , a state in the Wu region during the Spring and Autumn Period...

, Yue

Yue

-Locations:*Zhejiang, abbreviated 越 Yuè, a province of China*Guangdong, abbreviated 粵 Yuè, province of China*Yue in Yue Nan: 越南 -Language:...

, and Chu

Chu

Chu or CHU may refer to:Surname:* Chu , a common Chinese surname for 朱 , but it can also refer to any Chinese surname whose pinyin is "chu", such as 楚, 储, 褚, 初, 除 and other possible surnames....

 called 鸟虫文 or bird and worms script, a variant of seal script

Seal script

Seal script is an ancient style of Chinese calligraphy. It evolved organically out of the Zhōu dynasty script , arising in the Warring State of Qin...

. The inscription mirrors the text of King Goujian's Sword, except changing the name of the owner and the type of weapon. In this case, the text reads, "吴王夫差自作用矛" or "(Belonging to) King Fuchai of Wu made for his personal use, this spear."