A massive storage site containing 32,000 artifacts, including valuable stone armor sets, has revealed an unprecedented plan that Qin Shi Huang was expected to execute in the afterlife.
According to Ancient Origins, the decades-long excavation at the Tomb of Qin Shi Huang in Shaanxi Province, China, has twice unveiled storage filled with stone armor, a type of artifact crafted with exceptional skill yet remaining enigmatic.
The first discovery occurred in 1988 in an area known as Pit K9801. The second discovery came in 2019, revealing a much larger area of 144 square meters, containing as many as 32,392 artifacts.
One of the intricately crafted stone armor sets excavated from the Qin Shi Huang tomb complex – (Photo: NATIONAL GEOLOGICAL MUSEUM)
Interestingly, some of the stone armor sets in the second storage site were only nearly completed, with stone pieces just drilled and polished. Additionally, there were some tools indicating that this was a workshop for crafting stone armor.
A recently published study in the journal Science Direct, led by Professor Xuewei Zhang from the Archaeobiology Laboratory at Jilin University (China), has shed light on the mystery of these eerie stone armors.
The helmet of the stone armor set – (Photo: NATIONAL GEOLOGICAL MUSEUM).
New analyses reveal that the armor was made from high-quality limestone with minimal joints. The nearly completed sets suggest that they were intentionally left in that state within the tomb.
The production process of the armor was designed exactly like the process used for the leather armor worn by soldiers of the Qin Dynasty, consisting of nine steps.
Researchers state that these armor sets were not produced for the existing army of that era, but rather intended as burial items for Qin Shi Huang and his army in battles in the “afterlife.”
They note that this reflects the reverence and expectations for life in the afterlife that those who constructed the tomb had for the emperor. This also indirectly reflects the status and life of Qin Shi Huang during his illustrious reign.
