Together with the first emperor Qin Shi Huang of the Chinese Qin dynasty, who connected the links of the Great Wall and unified China, they were buried in 210-209 BC. e. terracotta statues.
Probably, these statues were intended to satisfy the emperor's imperious ambitions in the other world in the same way as he did during his lifetime. Although at the same time, contrary to the established tradition, instead of living soldiers, only their clay copies were buried together with the emperor, it should not be forgotten that, in addition to the statues of warriors, according to various estimates of experts, about 70 thousand workers, including their families, were buried with him, but unlike soldiers, these the people were very real.
The find was discovered by local peasants in the spring of 1974, when an artesian well was being drilled near Lishan Mountain. The excavations took place in three stages, the last of which began in 2009.
The army of clay warriors is kept in a battle formation in crypts located 1.5 kilometers from the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang.
Mount Lishan is a man-made necropolis of the first emperor. For the manufacture of statues, material was taken from this particular hill. The construction of the mausoleum began in 247 BC. More than 700 thousand artisans and workers were involved in construction work. The construction of the mausoleum lasted for 38 years. The emperor was buried in 210 BC. The great Chinese historian Sima Qianyu claims that a huge number of various artisan products and jewelry were buried together with Qin Shi Huang. In addition, 48 concubines were buried with the emperor alive. Also, about 8 thousand sculptures of horsemen, infantrymen and archers were hidden underground.
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Horses and warriors of the Terracotta Army were manufactured in various parts of China. Scientists from the Institute of Botany of the Academy of Sciences of the country made some conclusions by comparing pollen taken from statues and the area of its distribution. They believe that the horses were made near the necropolis, most likely to facilitate their transportation, since the weight of one horse sculpture is 200 kilograms. The clay statues of soldiers are comparatively lighter, weighing about 135 kilograms, and today the place of their manufacture is still unknown. It is curious that all the sculptures of the warriors are different from each other.
Since the figures of the warriors were made individually, by hand and using various techniques, each of them is a real work of art, with its own unique expressions and facial features. After shaping the statues, they were first baked and then covered with organic glaze and paint. Warriors differ in rank (ordinary soldiers and officers) and in the type of weapon (crossbow, sword or spear).
In 1980, in addition to clay statues, two more bronze chariots were discovered near the tomb of Emperor Qin, made of more than 300 parts. Both chariots are drawn by horses, in the harness of which precious elements of gold and silver have been instructed