The Terracotta Warriors are one of the most amazing and unbelievable
discoveries in the known history. They are a 8,000 strong army of clay made when the First Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang ordered approximately 87 artisans to create exact replicas of real soldiers, entertainers and musicians
to guard and entertain him throughout his afterlife. Archaeology is still
unravelling most of their secrets. How did ancient craftsmen make something
never done before, create a 8,000 strong army of statues in 7 years? There are several pits in which all the warriors faced the Mausoleum of the First Emperor
DISCOVERY
The Terracotta Army was discovered on 29th March 1974 in the east of Xi'an which is in the Shaanxi Province. The discovery was made when a small group of farmers began digging for a water well to the east of Qin Shi Huang tomb at Mt. Li. Many times before then had been occasional findings of small fragments of Terracotta near the site of the discovery. The farmers found a big pit full of Terracotta real size soldiers. This pit was later known as Pit 1. They immediately called archaeologists which found that the soldiers were a part of an army of live sized ancient warriors.
discoveries in the known history. They are a 8,000 strong army of clay made when the First Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang ordered approximately 87 artisans to create exact replicas of real soldiers, entertainers and musicians
to guard and entertain him throughout his afterlife. Archaeology is still
unravelling most of their secrets. How did ancient craftsmen make something
never done before, create a 8,000 strong army of statues in 7 years? There are several pits in which all the warriors faced the Mausoleum of the First Emperor
DISCOVERY
The Terracotta Army was discovered on 29th March 1974 in the east of Xi'an which is in the Shaanxi Province. The discovery was made when a small group of farmers began digging for a water well to the east of Qin Shi Huang tomb at Mt. Li. Many times before then had been occasional findings of small fragments of Terracotta near the site of the discovery. The farmers found a big pit full of Terracotta real size soldiers. This pit was later known as Pit 1. They immediately called archaeologists which found that the soldiers were a part of an army of live sized ancient warriors.
HISTORY
Emperor Qin Shi Huang had ruthlessly killed many people in cold blood.
So he thought that vengeful souls would come and
harm him throughout his afterlife. So he ordered approxitmately 87 artisans all with 10 apprentices to create life size statues of soldiers, entertainers and musicians.
It was all done in less than 11 years. But this task was even harder than it
seemed. In that era, they did not have modern technology which we take for granted now to help them to find the special clay and special paint which made them still bound until this day. That paint was called lacre, also known as sealing wax. That was coloured and was used to paint the Terracotta Army. The sealing wax hardened the material which lasted for centuries. Collecting the lacer was also difficult because the lacer was from the sap of special trees.
Emperor Qin Shi Huang had ruthlessly killed many people in cold blood.
So he thought that vengeful souls would come and
harm him throughout his afterlife. So he ordered approxitmately 87 artisans all with 10 apprentices to create life size statues of soldiers, entertainers and musicians.
It was all done in less than 11 years. But this task was even harder than it
seemed. In that era, they did not have modern technology which we take for granted now to help them to find the special clay and special paint which made them still bound until this day. That paint was called lacre, also known as sealing wax. That was coloured and was used to paint the Terracotta Army. The sealing wax hardened the material which lasted for centuries. Collecting the lacer was also difficult because the lacer was from the sap of special trees.
WEAPONRY
The Terracotta Army excavation pits were filled with bronze weapons such as swords,
spears, scimitars, billhooks, halberds, arrowheads and crossbows. Even though
they had been two thousand years old and were buried alongside the terracotta figures,
they were still glittered and shiny. This was because of the Qin Dynasty's
expertise. The soldiers' sword were still very sharp because they had been treated with chromium oxide. This layer of chromium oxide was 10-15 micrometres thick which kept the sword rust free and still in good condition for over nearly 2000 years. The archers' had crossbows which had very complicated mechanism and could shoot over 800 metres.
The Terracotta Army excavation pits were filled with bronze weapons such as swords,
spears, scimitars, billhooks, halberds, arrowheads and crossbows. Even though
they had been two thousand years old and were buried alongside the terracotta figures,
they were still glittered and shiny. This was because of the Qin Dynasty's
expertise. The soldiers' sword were still very sharp because they had been treated with chromium oxide. This layer of chromium oxide was 10-15 micrometres thick which kept the sword rust free and still in good condition for over nearly 2000 years. The archers' had crossbows which had very complicated mechanism and could shoot over 800 metres.
QIN ARTISANS
The Qin artisans were always wondered about by researches and scientists. How many artisans were used to create an army of such scale? Now after a long period of forensic research we had found approximately 87 artisans. Their names were found at the back of the statues. They were forced to imprint their names on the warriors so they would be responsible if the statue was unsatisfactory..
The Qin artisans were always wondered about by researches and scientists. How many artisans were used to create an army of such scale? Now after a long period of forensic research we had found approximately 87 artisans. Their names were found at the back of the statues. They were forced to imprint their names on the warriors so they would be responsible if the statue was unsatisfactory..