The Terracotta Warriors or Xian Warriors, guarding the first emperor of China and were found by a group of peasants casually. But... What is your story? As they are?
Let's dig a little deeper into the history of the largest army ever found in a tomb, destined to make their emperor a ruler in the afterlife as well.
Discovery of the Terracotta Warriors
In 1974, some farmers who were digging a well near a small town came across one of the great archaeological finds of the era. Large underground chambers that surrounded the tomb of an emperor. There were more than 8000 terracotta soldiers, a huge army that seemed to be prepared for battle.
The discovery, although surprising, had actually been visible for centuries, since the area is full of underground springs. Excavating in that area entailed occasionally finding remains of ceramics, masonry or tiles from Qin's tomb.
When the archaeological work began, the largest set of statuettes ever found.
The first emperor of China
Ying Zheng, came to power in the state of Qin at the age of 13 in 246 BC. Over time he would become the first emperor of China, after uniting the 7 kingdoms that made it up His reign lasted 36 years and came with various developments such as a standardized or unified alphabet for all of China. He is also the one who owes the most famous element of China: The Great Wall.
this emperor he was focused on leaving a legacy and being remembered. Perhaps this tells us of a turbulent feeling about his own mortality. What's more, the last years of his life were spent searching for alchemists and carrying out various expeditions, all in search of the elixir of eternal life.
The construction of the emperor's tomb
The first year of his reign, the emperor already ordered the construction of a large necropolis to begin. underground. It would be full of artifacts, monuments but, in addition, there would be an army. All this would accompany him to the afterlife where he would continue to exercise his position as emperor.
How is the army of terracotta warriors?
This army is still standing, prepared for battle and divided into several pits. One of these pits, the main, it has an area of 200 x 50 meters and has more than 7500 warriors, some of them yet to be unearthed. A second pit has more than 130 chariots and more than 600 horses. The third pit houses the senior commanders in charge of directing the army. A fourth empty grave was found, which indicates that the project was probably left unfinished when the emperor died.
However, we must not think that there was only this great army in the emperor's tomb. There were also cameras with figures of musicians, workers, government officials, etc.. As well as exotic animals. Which indicates the ambition in the emperor's plans for the afterlife.
These sculptures are terracotta sculptures, a type of reddish-brown clay. To carry them out, several workshops and some 700.000 workers were necessary. Have natural size, around one meter eighty in height.
The sculptures were made in various pieces that would later be joined and that they were representing the components of the emperor's army. are made according to their ranks and have different weapons and uniforms. Each one is personalized in terms of different features, expressions, hairstyles, beards and mustaches.
were brightly colored polychromes, although this paint falls off on exposure to air and would expose the terracotta. Due to oxidation by air, in just 5 hours the pigment comes off the terracotta. For this reason, a technique is being investigated that allows the original colors to be maintained and until this is achieved, the rest of the warriors will not continue to be excavated.
Once the tomb was made and the emperor buried, the tomb did not remain intact. After the fall of the Qin dynasty, the peasants looted it and stole many of the weapons it carried. the terracotta army
Preparation for life in the afterlife
yingzheng, He would not be the only person who prepared so conscientiously for life in the afterlife. The dead of the Kofun era in Japan were buried with sculptures of horses and houses. Jaina Island tombs off the coast of Mexico have ceramic figurines.
And of course, the most famous civilization in terms of preparing your life for the afterlife: the Egyptians.
We recommend you take a look at the article on Tutankhamun's tomb: Egypt from the tomb of the child king
Where are they currently?
Once the tomb was located, a complex of museums on the area itself. The largest cavern is covered and can be visited. Research on this tomb is still active.
To see it we would have to go to a mountain located in the northeast of Xian, in Shaanxi province in China.
To learn about other archaeological finds, consult the other articles on our website and do not miss the news.