Green pine inlaid sawtooth-edged mirror, Erlitou culture, Xia dynasty, 17th-16th century BCE. Bronze. Diameter 21.8 cm; weight 769 g. Catalog 1. © 2026 Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Ancient Bronze Mirrors

Because its rim resembles the teeth of a saw, it is called a sawtooth-edged mirror. If the patterned surface is considered the mirror's surface, the knob with a hole for a cord is on the reverse side, which can be confirmed by X-ray transmission imaging. The presence of a pattern on the surface and the knob on the reverse side significantly differentiate it from other bronze mirrors.

While it is considered one of the oldest bronze mirrors, its purpose differs from that of a typical mirror used for reflection; it may have been used as a magical or ritualistic object utilizing light reflection.