Terracotta Army
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The Terracotta Army is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting soldiers, horses, and chariots. The sculptures were buried near the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor to unify China, who died around 210 BCE. The site is located in Shaanxi Province, near the city of Xi'an.
The sculptures were discovered in 1974, when a farmer digging a well struck a piece of terracotta pottery. Subsequent archaeological excavation revealed several large pits in which soldiers stand in formation. The entire site, including the emperor's mausoleum, is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Construction and technique
The soldiers were made using a modular method: legs, torso, arms, and head were fashioned separately and then assembled. As a result, each face appears unique, although other parts were often produced from the same molds. Originally, the sculptures were painted in various colors, but most of the paint faded when exposed to air. Some soldiers carried actual bronze weapons—swords, spears, and crossbow bolts.
Purpose
The prevailing scholarly view is that the army was created to protect the emperor in the afterlife. This differs from earlier practices in which living retainers were buried with rulers; the terracotta figures served as a substitute. The emperor's large mausoleum itself has not yet been fully excavated.
Pits and numbers
Three large pits containing soldiers have been discovered, along with a fourth smaller pit. Pit 1 is the largest, containing mostly soldiers from the front ranks. Pit 2 holds cavalry and crossbowmen, while Pit 3 appears to be a command center. The total number of soldiers is estimated at thousands, but many remain underground or await excavation.