The Terracotta Army of Qin Shi Huang was once painted in vibrant colors made from natural minerals such as peacock stone and cinnabar…
What is the Terracotta Army? The Terracotta Army, or the Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shi Huang, is a collection of life-sized clay statues of soldiers and horses located near the tomb of Qin Shi Huang. The Terracotta Army was discovered on March 29, 1974, near the city of Xi’an in Shaanxi Province, northwestern China. The army was buried with Emperor Qin Shi Huang of the Qin Dynasty around 210-209 BC. To date, 8,099 statues have been excavated from the ground. The soldier statues include infantrymen, archers, and generals, depicted either standing upright or bending down holding bows, crossbows, spears, halberds, and bronze swords… these are the weapons used in China during that time. In addition to the warriors, life-sized and intricately crafted chariot and horse statues have also been found in the Terracotta Army site. The collection is housed in three separate burial pits, with a fourth pit remaining empty. It is believed that the first pit contains 6,000 warrior statues, representing the main army of Qin Shi Huang. The first pit is located to the west of the tomb. The second pit contains about 1,400 cavalry and infantry statues accompanying the chariots, considered to be the guard force, covering an area of 19,659 m². The third pit serves as the command center with different ranks and features a four-horse chariot, covering an area of 1,524 m² with 68 statues. |
