The Terracotta Warriors, 1974
In 1974, a group of farmers near the ancient city of Chang’an were trying to dig a well. They did not find water, but found something far more valuable. Near the unexcavated tomb of Qin Shi Huang, who proclaimed himself the first emperor of China in 221 BCE, the farmers discovered the Terracotta Warriors, today, one of the most famous groups of artifacts from ancient China.
The Terracotta Army consists of more than 6,000 individual figures, including soldiers, archers and horses. Each has a unique face, and was arranged in military formation in several large pits, separated by rammed earth walls. The statues were originally brightly painted. Three of the pits are fully accessible to tourists today; however, the Terracotta Army is not yet fully excavated.
The Terracotta Army was only one part of the massive funerary complex or necropolis created for Qin Shi Huangdi. Since the discovery of the Terracotta Army, Chinese archaeologists have uncovered terracotta musicians, civil servants and even acrobats. These terracotta figures likely took the place of human sacrifices, providing the staff the emperor would require in the afterlife.
Excavations continue at the site; however, the tomb of the emperor has not been excavated and there are, at this time, no plans to do so. Archaeological techniques, even the most careful ones, are by their very nature destructive, so it is possible that by leaving the tomb intact, information can be preserved for the future. In addition, historical sources suggest that there may be mercury in the tomb itself, creating a potential health and environmental risk.