The Terracotta Army in China
The Terracotta Army stands as one of the most captivating archaeological discoveries of our time. Termed as the Eighth Wonder of the World, it is also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
During a severe drought in 1974 that affected the city of Xi'an, ancient capital of China, a group of local farmers attempted to dig a well. Instead of water, they stumbled upon clay fragments. Archaeologists were subsequently involved in the excavation, leading to one of the greatest discoveries of the 20th century...
The Terracotta Army consists of a legendary guard of life-size clay warriors, horses, and chariots. These warriors were intended to protect the interests of the Chinese Emperor Qin Shi Huang in the afterlife. They were buried alongside the emperor in 210-209 BCE.
Emperor Qin Shi Huang, known in China as the unifier emperor, is famed for uniting warring Chinese kingdoms into a powerful empire. His reign saw the beginning of the construction of the Great Wall of China.
Construction of the imperial tomb began in 247 BCE, involving 700,000 laborers and craftsmen. The construction of the mausoleum lasted 38 years.
Initially, according to ancient Chinese tradition, the emperor desired to be buried with 4,000 living warriors, but his advisors convinced him otherwise. Such a brutal act would inevitably lead to rebellion and weaken the military strength of the empire. Instead, a decision was made to bury terracotta warriors, doubling their number for security.
Although Emperor Qin greatly contributed to the empire's development, he was notoriously known for his cruelty. Hundreds of skeletons, many of them craftsmen and laborers who helped build the tomb, were discovered within the tomb. They were buried to preserve the secrecy of the site and its treasures. After the burial and sealing of the treasures, the gates were closed, trapping all workers inside. Trees and grass were planted over the mausoleum to give it the appearance of a regular hill.
Among the 8,000 terracotta warriors, no two faces are alike; each figure has individual facial features and hairstyles. The faces of the warriors even reveal the nationality of soldiers from the Chinese empire: among them are Chinese, Uyghurs, Tibetans, Mongols, and many others. The armors, clothing, and footwear are reproduced with exquisite precision.
Alongside the soldiers stand military chariots and harnessed horses. In the early 2000s, archaeologists found statues of officials, musicians, and acrobats.
Each warrior weighs approximately 135 kg and stands between 170-190 cm tall. Horses, weighing around 200 kg, were made near the mausoleum for easier transportation.
Each warrior was equipped with real weapons: spears, shields, bows, crossbows, and swords. However, during a peasant revolt against Emperor Shi Huangdi's son, who, unlike his great father, proved to be a weak and incompetent ruler, the tombs were looted.
All terracotta warriors were brightly painted with natural pigments, and these colors did not fade for many centuries until the warriors were unearthed. The reason being that upon contact with oxygen, the colors quickly fade.
