To the east of Xi'an, in Shaanxi province, there is a military garrison of many thousands; this is a wonder of the world known as the Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. The underground burials contain at least 8,099 terracotta statues of Chinese warriors and their horses. They were honored to be buried together with the first emperor of Qin - Qin Shi Huang in 210-209. BC
In the Xi'an district, Chinese farmers have long found clay shards, but they were afraid to touch them, let alone pick them up, as they believed that strange shards are magic amulets - the source of various troubles. But already in 1974 everything was explained.
History of the Terracotta Army
One day, the farmer Yan Ji Wang began to dig a well on his plot of land. He did not find water, but he found something else. Yan Ji Wang stumbled upon the figure of an ancient warrior at a depth of 5 meters. The find of the farmer shocked archaeologists. and subsequent excavations showed that she was not alone here. Several thousand warriors have been discovered by scientists. Terracotta soldiers have been buried in the ground for over 2,000 years since the death of the famous unifier of China, Qin Shi Huang.
The construction of the terracotta army began in 247 BC. e., more than 700,000 artisans and workers took part in their construction, and, as art historians assume, it took 38 years. Qin Shi Huang was interred in 201 BC. e. According to the assumption of the Chinese historian Sima Qianyu, jewelry and artisan products were also buried with him.
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Horses and warriors of the Terracotta Army in China were created in different areas. Scientists have found out that the horses were made near Lishan Mountain, most likely to facilitate their transportation (the weight of the horse is about 200 kg.), The figures of the warriors are much lighter, about 135 kg., But the place of their creation is still unknown.
Later, on the site of a grandiose find, a city arose. Three pavilions protect the terracotta burial army from bad weather and vandalism. The excavations of the terracotta horde have been going on for about 40 years, but the end of them is not expected.
Yang Ji Wang found Qin Shi Huang's first, main battle row, which contains approximately 6,000 terracotta figures. In 1980, archaeologists unearthed a second column of 2,000 statues. Later, in 1994, the General Staff was discovered - a cluster of top military commanders.
About 700,000 craftsmen were involved in the creation of the imperial army. But why did the ancient Chinese need to spend energy and money to create this grandiose composition? And what other secrets does the land of this area keep?
The prolonged bloody period of the seven rival kingdoms ended with the unconditional victory of the Qin dynasty. The young and ambitious ruler Yin Ren subdued all the kingdoms one after another. Their capitals Zhao, Han, Wei, Yin, Chun, and Qi were leveled to the ground. For the first time in history, China has achieved unity. Qin Shi Huang appointed himself emperor and immediately moved on to reforms and consolidation of power. He got down to business with the inherent sophistication and scope of a tyrant.
He set himself the goal of eliminating any possibility of China's fragmentation and civil strife in the future. The Chinese Empire was divided into 36 districts, and two governors (civilian and military) were appointed in each district. The emperor tightened all standards: it concerned money, measures of length and weight, writing, construction and even the width of the axle for carts. The standard set in the Qin kingdom served as a model.
The previous history of China was declared to be of little relevance. In 213 BC. books and ancient annals of the defeated dynasties were set on fire. More than 460 scientists were subjected to execution, who were suspected of disloyalty to the new imperial regime.
The Emperor believed that his dynasty would rule the Empire forever and therefore tried to create attributes befitting eternity. One of the results of the imperial thought about the eternal was the Great Wall of China.
Initially, the ruler wanted to bury 4 thousand young warriors with him, as the ancient Chinese tradition says, but the advisers managed to convince him not to do this. This barbaric act would inevitably lead to rebellion.
Then they decided to bury the clay statues instead of people. But for reliability, their number was increased. Their gaze was turned to the east, there were located all the kingdoms that suffered from the great tyrant.
Terracotta warriors were made with great jewelry, probably amazing diligence was inherent in their creators. In the entire suite, you cannot find the same faces, because they simply do not exist. They reflect the multinationality of the Chinese empire, among them one can observe not only the Chinese, but also the Mongols, Uighurs, Tibetans and many others. The details of clothing and hairstyles correspond to their time. The armor and footwear are reproduced with incredible precision.
The only difference from real people is in their height. Their height is 1.90 - 1.95 meters. The army of the divine Qin could not have been that size. The finished sculpting was fired in kilns with a firing temperature of 1,000 degrees. After, the artists painted them with natural colors. A little faded paint can be seen today. However, after a few minutes in the air, the colors disappear.
Eleven aisles of the main row of warriors are separated by walls. On top were whole tree trunks, covered with mats and 30 cm of cement, and on top of 3 m of earth. This was done in order to protect the deceased emperor among the living.
But alas, the calculation could not meet their expectations, after a few years this mighty terracotta army was defeated.
Qin Shi Huang died and his son, the weak-willed and weak Er Shi Huang, became the ruler of the empire. His inability to manage caused a storm of indignation among people. The revolt of the people, which the advisers feared, nevertheless took place and there was no one to suppress it. The first defeat went to the terracotta army.
The indignant crowd plundered and burned the army, because the rebels had nowhere to get weapons. Qin Shi Huang's surplus melted down and destroyed in order to avoid various incidents. Here, underground, there were 8,000 sets of bows, shields, spears and swords. They were the main target of the rebels. The government forces were defeated. The son of the great emperor was killed by his own courtiers.
For many centuries, robbers were eager to unearth treasures, some of them cost their lives. Amazingly, the terracotta soldiers kept the spirit of their ruler as best they could. They say that among the excavations were found human skeletons. Ancient manuscripts say that colossal treasures were buried with the divine Qing, including the golden throne.
Qin Shi Huang was able to create intrigue with his riddles. And one of the versions suggests that he was buried in another place, and this is just a decoration. And if this is so, then the scale of a true burial can only be drawn in fantasy.
Removing the figures from the ground, archaeologists were puzzled by the problem - the paint instantly (5 minutes) dried up and burst. And a solution was found - after various treatments (immersion in a container with a humid microclimate, coating with a special compound and irradiation), the soldiers are exhibited in museums around the world, now about 1,500 statues have been removed. There is a museum directly at the place of discovery, the first exposition was opened in 1979, but it appeared in all its glory in 1994.
Along with the Great Wall of China and the Shaolin Monastery, China's Terracotta Army is on the list of the most famous landmarks around the world. If you are lucky enough to travel across Asia, specifically in China, then be sure to check out the Xi'an Terracotta Army Museum.
The Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in China in 1987.