/ The Terracotta Army is a find that shocked the world

Our land is full of ancient mysteries and mysteries. Every people and every country has a history, the roots of which go far into the past. A good example is China. China is such an ancient country that its rich history begins many centuries before our era. And every archaeological excavation there leads to finds that stagger the imagination of mankind. One of these finds was the terracotta army.

Terracotta Army called one of the wonders of the world. She has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. And US President Ronald Reagan said about her: "The great miracle that belonged to mankind." No one has seen such beauty, such strength and power underground before.

This historical heritage is located in the city of Xi'an, Shenxi Province, located in the east of China.
Terracotta Army- This is a burial of 8099 statues of warriors made of clay. The peculiarity is that all these products are made in full human growth. Chinese warriors with cavalry were buried in 210 - 209 BC with Emperor Qin Shi Huang.

How was the terracotta army found?

For centuries, the inhabitants of Xi'an constantly found pieces of clay - shards. They were afraid to pick them up, because they believed that a curse might follow. The Chinese then did not even suspect that under their feet, just a few meters underground, there was a whole layer of historical heritage.
The mystery of clay shards was discovered in 1974, when Yan Ji Wang, a man who cultivated the land, decided to dig a well on his plot near Mount Lishan. Digging only to a depth of 5 meters, the farmer stumbled upon something strange. Having examined his find, he discovered that it was the head of a warrior, made of terracotta. Archaeologists and historians were shocked by the found object. A long series of archaeological works followed.

Archaeological excavations began in 1978 and are still ongoing. Work is progressing very slowly. Firstly, in order not to damage the figures, and secondly, due to the lack of state funding. The third reason is the ancient belief that rivers of mercury should accompany the emperor to the other world, and in order not to harm the inhabitants of nearby areas and the scientists themselves, everything has to be carefully and carefully checked. So we can safely say that many more secrets lie underground at the foot of Mount Lishan.

Excavations of the clay army have been going on for 40 years. During this time, a whole city grew up on the site of the find. Many pavilions protect the army from rain, wind, which can immediately destroy shaky clay statues. Also, security guards and scientists are constantly on duty to protect the heritage from vandals.
Archaeological expeditions are divided into several stages. The first stage was from 1978 to 1984, the next stage lasted from 1985 to 1986, and the third stage, which began in 2009, continues to this day.

Emperor Qin Shi Huang ruled from 246 to 210 BC, and was one of the most cruel and bloody rulers. Qin Shi Huang is the most significant person in the history of China, and not only because he is the founder of the great Qin dynasty. The great commander was able to unite the 7 kingdoms of China, which waged a fierce war for many decades. Mass destruction and murder, high mortality, chaos and looting ended when the cruel conqueror Qin Shi Huang came to power. The Warring States Period, which lasted 250 years, is over. For the first time, the title of "emperor" was proclaimed, which rose to the level of God. China became a single state, and its power was unmatched.

Also a significant imprint in history, which was left by the first emperor, is the completion of construction and strengthening of the Great Wall of China. The narcissistic emperor declared the entire previous history of China irrelevant, and destroyed all historical monuments, literature, scientists. Thus wiping out all history before the Qin Dynasty.

This historical period is famous for the fact that people sacredly believed in the afterlife. They built tombs, mausoleums, crypts, pyramids and tombs, buried their whole family, servants and army alive with them, filled their tombs with gold, wealth and decorations. In general, they did everything to provide themselves with a decent afterlife. One of the richest emperors, Qin Shi Huang, was no exception.
From the moment of ascension to the throne, and more precisely from 246, when the emperor was 13 years old, he actively began the construction of his tomb. Initially, to match his ambitions, Qin Shi Huang planned to bury 4,000 warriors alive with him. But due to the fact that over the past 250 years of the most brutal wars, the population of China has declined catastrophically, it would not be reasonable to bury such a number of life-hungry young people with them. Moreover, there would be a danger of a big riot.
Then, for the first time in history, the Chinese ruler came up with the idea to replace living people with clay statues.

Construction of the tomb lasted 38 years, with the efforts of 700,000 workers. They worked on the construction of the mausoleum day and night. The construction of the tomb with tombs and with all adjacent compartments in the perimeter takes 6 kilometers. The territory occupied by the famous terracotta army is 1.5 kilometers.
Together with the army, 70,000 workers with all their families were buried, as scientists think, so that no one would know the secret of the clay army. Also, 48 concubines were buried alive with the great commander. But don't get upset about them. In those days, people were happy to be buried with their owners, and it was considered a great honor.
The Terracotta Army includes more than 8,000 warriors, but this is far from the limit, as excavations are still ongoing, and their number is increasing every decade.

Each statue of a Chinese warrior is approximately 2 meters tall, which once again speaks of the emperor's desire to exalt himself, and weighs about 150 kilograms. Horses weigh 200 - 300 kilograms.
Chariots were also found in the tomb, which amaze with their wealth and luxury. Each bronze chariot consists of more than 300 parts, and is decorated with gold, silver and drawn by four horses.

Clay warriors were deployed to the east, and they stand on the eastern side of the Qin mausoleum, and all because it was on the eastern side that the emperor indulged in the most cruel conquests.
The warriors are arranged in three rows, clearly one behind the other. They stand as if they are ready to start a fight at any moment. The fighters of the terracotta army are lined up in battle order, first the infantrymen go, followed by horsemen, archers, officers and commanders. Next to them were found statues of musicians, officials, acrobats.
All warriors have different uniforms, different faces, uniforms. The work was done so subtly and jewelry that even after 2 thousand years, we can see that each statue has its own facial expression. There is not a single warrior who would be exactly like another. Among the terracotta soldiers, one can easily see the whole multinationality of China. The Terracotta Army includes Chinese, Tibetans, Uighurs, Mongols and so on.
Soldiers are dressed exactly according to the laws of that time. Clothing, hairstyle, mustache or beard, uniforms, armor are made with incredible accuracy. Even on the sole of the shoe you can see the corresponding pattern. Each terracotta soldier was equipped with real weapons. It was believed that warriors were made from life, and after death the soul of a warrior moved into a clay statue.

How exactly the soldiers of the terracotta army were made is still a mystery. One thing is clear, all the work is done by hand. Masters used completely different techniques. Some scientists believe that all parts of the body were performed separately, then connected, a face was cultivated from an additional layer of clay on the head, and the whole creation was sent to the oven for several days. But where did the Chinese of the first second century BC get so many stoves? After the work done, the warrior was painted. But unfortunately, for 2 thousand years underground, the paint has worn off. And those sculptures on which the remains of paint were still found, as soon as they were in the fresh air, the entire coating was peeled off.

Material for the soldiers was taken from Mount Lishan. However, according to the pollen on the statues, scientists of our time were able to determine that the statues were made in different parts of China.
From above, the army was protected by whole tree trunks, zinc, cement and earth.
Unfortunately, the terracotta army was defeated very quickly. Immediately after the death of Qin Shi Huang, his successor's mismanagement sparked a rebellion. The people of China needed weapons. Having broken open the crypt of the army, they burned some of the soldiers, and replaced all real weapons with bronze ones.
Interestingly, for such a long period underground, the bronze weapon did not become dull and did not lose its luster, but all because it was covered with chrome. This technique was developed only in the XX century.
We can safely say that the terracotta army qualitatively performed the functions of protecting its master. Many dead vandals and robbers were found on the territory of the army, how exactly they died there is not known.

The great emperor built a whole city of the dead around his crypt. The beauty of the burial complex is not inferior to the real imperial palace. Many burials alive of people, animals, luxurious decorations, untold wealth, all this was transferred to the earth along with the emperor. But to this day, unfortunately, these complexes have not survived.
Scientists of our time suggest that this terracotta army, a plundered tomb, is just a dummy of the real tomb of the emperor. Qin Shi Huang was very cunning. And according to legend, together with the great commander, they put such riches into the ground that even our imagination cannot draw. There is a possibility that the real complex has not even been found yet.

Yes, the earth is full of secrets. And perhaps someday we will find the real mausoleum of the emperor, and the terracotta army will turn out to be artifacts to divert attention. Nevertheless, the terracotta army is the heritage of mankind, a rich heritage left to us by our ancestors.
Historians believe that even two hundred years will not be enough to fully open the tomb of the emperor in Xi'an.

June 4th, 2011

The burial complex of Emperor Qin Shi Huang is the most important tourist attraction in China. It is located in the ancient city of Xi'an, the former capital of China for a millennium. Many come to this city just to look at the famous Terracotta Army, which today is the most significant part of the tomb of the First Emperor, since the burial complex itself is rarely visited by tourists. Clay warriors, found in 1974, attract all the attention. At the same time, the Terracotta Army is only a secondary element of the burial, located 1.5 km from the tomb itself, outside the line of the ancient defensive walls that surrounded the entire necropolis.

Getting to the Terracotta Army from Xian is easy, there is a constant bus number 306 or 5 from the main city railway station square.
The entire area around the tomb of the First Emperor is defiled by the Chinese in the way that only they can do. There is no strength to describe the kilometer-long rows of shops and stalls, I even got lost in this labyrinth of meaningless structures. All this evil is poked so much that it is difficult to find the entrance to the complex itself.

Main excavation.

The Terracotta Army dates back to the 2nd-3rd century BC. and is logically attributed to the burial complex of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, although it is located at some distance from it.
More than 8000 clay warriors have been excavated so far, and their number is constantly increasing. Warriors have a height of 180-190 cm, the weight of one soldier is about 130 kg.

Almost all the faces of the Terracotta Army are individual.

The entire army was equipped with real weapons - crossbows, pikes and swords, most of which may have been borrowed by the rebellious peasants in ancient times, but even now tens of thousands of arrowheads and other types of weapons have been found.
Photo from the Terracotta Army Museum.

The attention to detail is simply amazing.

It is assumed that there may be thousands and thousands more warriors in the ground. Figures of officials, musicians and acrobats were also found.

Not all warriors arrived in perfect condition, most of the figures were crushed by a heavy roof that collapsed in ancient times.

All the figures were very brightly painted, but the colors died from contact with oxygen when the warriors began to be taken to the surface.
Photo from the Terracotta Army Museum. I just don't understand why they have blue noses? :)

There are many versions that answer the question why all these figures were needed. As you know, during the earlier Chinese dynasties of Shang, Zhou, it was customary to bury living people, but here they seem to have decided, out of the kindness of their hearts, to replace them with clay copies.
"A warrior who wishes us well."

The figure of the general is the tallest of all, there is something about 2 meters in it.

But there is one nuance here. Previously, the number of people buried with the rulers was relatively small - 100-200 people. The number of Qin Shi Huang's warriors is already more than 8,000, and it is not known how many more will be found. Burying an entire army corps alive was probably beyond the power of even the great First Emperor. So we can talk not so much about the "great kindness" of the ruler, but about his increased desires.
In this sense, Qing Shi Huang's wives were unlucky; according to Sima Qian, they were buried in the same way - in kind. Apparently, the Chinese had a correct understanding of this issue - a clay woman cannot replace a real one) As a result, all the childless concubines were buried, there were harsh times.

Bronze models of Qin Shi Huang's chariots. They are made almost life-size, many parts of the harness and the chariots themselves are made of gold and silver.

Sima Qian also testifies that many craftsmen who worked on the mausoleum were buried together with the emperor. Of course, it was just as problematic to bury everyone as it was for the soldiers, because up to 700,000 people worked during the construction of the tomb. Recently, a mass grave of people was found to the west of the Qin Shi Huang pyramid, but there are only about a hundred people there, perhaps they are workers who died on construction. They died like flies, it was a well-known all-China penal servitude.

"Tai Chi Warrior"

It is probably appropriate to cite the text of Sima Qian here, since this is the main source of our knowledge about the tomb of Qin Shi Huang.

“In the ninth moon, the [ashes] of Shi Huang were buried in Mount Lishan. Shi Huang, having come to power for the first time, at the same time began to break through Mount Lishan and arrange a [vault] in it; having united the Celestial Empire, [he] sent over seven hundred thousand criminals there from all the Celestial Empire. They went deep to the third waters, filled [the walls] with bronze and lowered down the sarcophagus. The crypt was filled with [copies] of palaces transported and lowered there, [figures] of officials of all ranks, rare things and extraordinary jewelry. The masters were ordered to make crossbows, so that, [installed there], they would shoot at those who would try to dig a passage and make their way [to the tomb]. Large and small rivers and seas were made of mercury, and mercury spontaneously overflowed into them. On the ceiling they depicted a picture of the sky, on the floor - the outlines of the earth. The lamps were filled with ren-yu fat in the expectation that the fire would not go out for a long time
Er-shi said: “All the childless inhabitants of the back chambers of the palace of the late emperor should not be driven away,” and ordered all of them to be buried along with the deceased. There were many dead. When the emperor's coffin was already lowered down, someone said that the masters who made all the devices and hid [values] knew everything and could talk about the hidden treasures. Therefore, when the funeral ceremony was over and everything was covered, they blocked the middle door of the passage, after which they lowered the outer door, tightly walling up all the artisans and those who filled the grave with valuables, so that no one came out of there. [Above] grass and trees were planted [so that the grave] took the form of an ordinary mountain”

The text is interesting and really, very mysterious.
I am not an expert in Chinese translations, but I believe that the meaning of the passage is accurately conveyed. It is noteworthy that Sima Qian does not mention the construction of a giant pyramid in the text. The crypt is pierced in an already supposedly existing mountain. At the same time, most modern scientists recognize the artificiality of the Qin Shi Huang mound. This is such a contradiction..
The road from the Terracotta Army to the actual burial complex passes through very rugged terrain, everything is pitted with pits for some kind of flooded agriculture. I thought that with such a furious digging of the territory by local peasants, it’s not a sin to find the very burial place of the emperor ..

This is what Qin Shi Huang's pyramid looks like now.

The height of the pyramid at the moment is about 50 meters. It is believed that the original structure was twice as large, different height data are given from 83 meters to 120. The length of the side of the base of the pyramid is 350 meters (For reference, the length of the side of the base of the pyramid of Cheops in Egypt is 230 meters)

Do not think that Qin Shi Huang's pyramid is such a heap of earth. Below is one of the reconstructions of the tomb. The pyramid was made of the same material as the Great Wall and almost all houses in China and Central Asia, that is, from pressed earth. This material can be as strong as concrete. For example, some earthen sections of the Great Wall of China, built at the turn of our era, during the Han Dynasty, are still standing, and the later walls of stones and baked bricks, from the Ming era, have already collapsed.

The only thing I don't like about this reconstruction is that there are three large steps. In the photo of the French explorer Victor Segalen, taken in 1909, the first and second large steps are clearly visible, then the pyramid, like the entire landscape, was "bald" and the separation of the steps was well read.

According to Sima Qian, it is possible that at the base of the pyramid there was some kind of natural mountain, where the burial of the emperor was arranged. But maybe, as many researchers think, the First Emperor was not buried in his pyramid, his tomb is somewhere nearby.
The base of the pyramid, hidden by trees.

The top platform of the pyramid of Qin Shi Huang. Now access here has been closed so that tourists do not go "on the head" of the First Emperor of China. It can be seen that the Chinese are trying to mask the upper platform with freshly planted trees. Why is not very clear, probably to completely destroy the brain of various ufologists and other experts on aliens and pracivilizations.

The staircase was dismantled and the opening was planted with trees, so that from a distance it was imperceptible that there was a passage here.

Approximately 200 meters south of the pyramid, I found in the thickets a very decent vertical shaft dug by Chinese comrades. Apparently, they are not sitting idly by, and the search for the entrance to the burial, albeit slowly, is underway ..

This photo clearly shows at what distance from the pyramid the Chinese made this mine in the ground.

The mine is located inside the perimeter of the fortress walls that surrounded the entire burial complex. There were several such perimeters. The fortress walls of the tomb of Qin Shi Huang are not much inferior in size to the medieval walls of the city of Xi'an, the total length of the walls of the tomb is 12 km, the average height is 10 meters.

Reconstruction of the funerary city of Qin Shi Huang.

Now the entire courtyard of the burial complex is overgrown with trees and shrubs, and once there were many structures of a ritual nature, only the foundations remained of them. But the walls of the Inner Burial City are visible even now, they are especially well preserved in the south.

Ruins of the southern gate of the complex. There were 10 of them in total.

The photograph, taken from the height of the pyramid, clearly shows the southeast corner of the fortifications.

In some places the walls were preserved to a height of two or three meters.

These bricks are at least 2210 years old...

I wonder why the pyramid is so significantly reduced in size. Of course, time and natural disasters did their job, but most likely the tomb of the First Emperor of China was simply not completed.
This is also pointed out by Sima Qian:
“The throne was succeeded by the [declared] heir of Hu Hai, who became the second emperor-ruler - Er-shi-huangdi”…..
“After the death of Shi Huang, Hu Hai showed extreme stupidity: without completing the work at Mount Lishan, he resumed the construction of the Epan Palace in order to fulfill the plans previously outlined by [his father].”

Those. for the son, the palace was more important than the father's tomb. By the way, the Epan Palace is one of the colossal structures of ancient China, unfortunately, it has not reached us.

It is for this simple reason that Qin Shi Huang's pyramid is somewhat different from, for example, the more geometrically correct later pyramids of the Han Dynasty. And the point is not even in size, but in the shape of the structure, which just does not exist. The man-made mountain has a square only at the base, and then I have a suspicion that the Chinese designed this on purpose, cutting off part of the loess rock.

Here you can clearly see the first step of the base of the pyramid.

Here the first high step is carefully hidden by planted trees.

At the top, the mound is rounded, the edges are almost completely absent. Because of this, I even got lost there - I went down not from the south, but from the west side, and for a long time I could not understand where I was. Do not forget that one side of the Qing Shi Huang pyramid is 350 meters. And only from the air you can see what is there and how, on the ground only one can see a dense forest and a gradual rise of the soil to the center of the structure.

The general view of the southern courtyard of the burial complex is complete emptiness, although a small line of ancient walls can be discerned.

I originally took this loess terrace, in the photo below, for a dam that protected the burial city of Qin Shi Huang from floods, but the dam is most likely located to the south. The entire province of Shaanxi consists of such loess terraces, so it is not surprising to get confused.

As in many other places in Shaanxi, Chinese peasants have been digging their houses and barns in the terraces for centuries. The photo shows one of them.

The surrounding mountains look much more "pyramidal" than the largest Chinese pyramid. No matter how hard you try, the creations of nature will always be more majestic than any human deeds.

The founder of the Qin dynasty, who completed the construction of the Great Wall of China, was preparing for death ahead of time: he built a huge tomb for himself, and several “smaller” crypts for servants and warriors. Together with the emperor, 70 thousand workers were buried, along with their families. But the emperor did not kill the warriors. Instead, he ordered artisans to create an army of terracotta, each warrior of which would have a real person as a prototype.

Despite the fact that Chinese historians are very careful about their cultural heritage, the terracotta army has somehow been forgotten. Its discovery turned out to be an accident - in the summer of 1974, in the province of Shaanxi, while digging a well, at a depth of 5 meters, a Chinese peasant stumbled upon one of the clay warriors. The discovery immediately aroused unprecedented interest among archaeologists, because the appearance of the statue made it possible to attribute the date of its creation to the period of deep antiquity. By the beginning of the autumn of that year, archaeologists had discovered about 6,000 such warriors. The analysis showed that the time of the creation of the statues coincides with the years of life of Qin Shi Huang, whose tomb, Mount Lishan, was located near the place of "burial" of terracotta warriors.

The work of Sima Qian, a hereditary historiographer of the Han Dynasty, who described the ascension to the throne in 246 BC, also helped to correlate the clay army with the founder of the Qin dynasty. e. 13-year-old Ying Zheng, known to us as Qin Shi Huang. According to the historiographer, the young ruler immediately began building his own tomb and ordered the creation of an army of clay warriors who would serve him after death.

All statues are copies of real people, retaining their facial features, uniforms, ranks, etc. The only thing that the sculptors changed was the height of the warriors, making them slightly taller than the real prototypes. The height of the statues of ordinary soldiers is approximately 180 cm, and of officers - up to 2 m, which expresses their superiority in rank. Archers, spearmen, swordsmen and even cavalry - Qin Shi Huang assembled a full-fledged army, which completely copied the real-life military formations. Commanders of all ranks, up to generals, also followed their emperor to the "other world", in the form of clay sculptures. "Civilian" statues were also found - musicians, acrobats and officials.

The vast majority of the statues were facing east. Some stand relaxed, others kneel down and, drawing their swords from their sheaths, repulse the attack. The difference in status can be determined by clothing. The officers are dressed in tunics with belts and suits similar to uniforms. Ordinary soldiers are dressed in short trousers, narrowed at the bottom, short robes, chest armor. Their shoes are common among the ancient Chinese: windings and shoes with rectangular toes. Even privates distinguish characteristic hairstyles in the form of a tight bun of hair.

The main excavations were carried out in two stages: from 1978 to 1984 and from 1985 to 1986. And in 2009, the third stage of excavations began, which continue to this day. Recent excavations have uncovered another 500 clay warriors, 100 horses and 18 bronze chariots. How much remains to be discovered is a question that remains unanswered. But why was the emperor's tomb in such a deplorable state?

After the death of Qin Shi Huang, the throne was inherited by his son, Er Shi Huang, who was weak-willed and weak. As a result of his failure as a leader, a popular uprising broke out. And the first target of the rebels was the terracotta army. The reason for this was that the cunning Ying Zheng melted down all the surplus weapons, so that ordinary people could not get them anywhere. And in the crypt, for the needs of clay warriors, an arsenal for 8,000 people was stored: swords, shields, spears and bows. As a result, the tomb was plundered, the imperial troops were defeated, and Er was killed. But the emperor’s treasures, which, according to legend, were buried with him, were never found. According to one version, the emperor was buried in a different place, and Mount Lishan is just a decoration.

In 1987, UNESCO listed the Terracotta Army as a World Heritage Site in China. Today, everyone has the opportunity to look at the terracotta warriors "live". Around the excavation area, a small town has grown with cafes, souvenir shops and covered pavilions, where the terracotta army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang is put on public display.

To the east of Xi'an, in the province of Shaanxi, there is a military garrison of many thousands, this is a wonder of the world, known as - Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. Underground burials include 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 district of Xi'an, Chinese farmers have long found clay shards, but they were afraid to touch them, and even more so to pick them up, because they believed that strange shards were magical amulets - the source of various troubles. But already in 1974 everything was explained.

History of the Terracotta Army

Once a 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 have shown that she is not alone. Several thousand warriors have been discovered by scientists. Terracotta soldiers have been buried in the ground for more than 2,000 years since the death of the famous unifier of China - Qin Shi Huang.

Mount Lishan - This is a man-made Chinese necropolis. material for terracotta

To the east of Xi'an, in the province of Shaanxi, 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. Underground burials include at least 8,099 terracotta statues of Chinese warriors and their horses.

warriors were taken here. The construction of the terracotta army began in 247 BC. e., more than 700,000 artisans and workers took part in their construction, and it took place, as art historians suggest, for 38 years. Qin Shi Huang was interred in 201 BC. e. According to the Chinese historian Sima Qianyu, jewelry and handicrafts were also buried with him.

The horses and warriors of the Terracotta Army in China were created in different areas. Scientists have found that the horses were made near Mount Lishan, most likely to facilitate their transportation (the weight of a horse is approximately 200 kg), the figures of warriors are much lighter, about 135 kg, but the place of their creation is still unknown.

Later, on the site of a grand find, a city arose. Three pavilions protect the terracotta funeral army from bad weather and vandalism. Excavations of the terracotta hordes have been going on for about 40 years, but their end is not expected.

Terracotta is yellow or red clay that has been fired at a constant temperature of at least 1000 degrees for several days.

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 effort and money to create this grandiose composition? And what other secrets does the land of this area keep?

The protracted bloody period of the seven rival kingdoms ended with the unconditional victory of the Qin dynasty. The young and ambitious ruler Yin Ren subjugated all the kingdoms one by one. Their capitals Zhao, Han, Wei, Yin, Chun and Qi were razed to the ground. For the first time in history, China has achieved unity. Qin Shi Huang appointed himself emperor and immediately moved to reform and strengthen power. He took up the matter with the sophistication and scope inherent in a tyrant.

He set himself the goal of destroying any possibility of China's fragmentation and civil strife in the future. The Chinese Empire was divided into 36 districts, each district was assigned two governors (civilian and military). The emperor tightened all standards: this 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 of little relevance. In 213 BC the books and ancient chronicles of the conquered dynasties were set on fire. More than 460 scientists were subject 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 4,000 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 a riot.

Then they decided to bury clay statues instead of people. But for reliability, their number was increased. Their eyes were turned to the east, where all the kingdoms that had suffered from the great tyrant were located.

The terracotta warriors were made very finely, probably their creators had an amazing diligence. It is impossible to find the same faces in the whole retinue, 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 Mongols, Uighurs, Tibetans and many others. Details of clothing and hairstyles correspond to their time. Armor and shoes are reproduced with incredible accuracy.

The only difference from real people is their height. Their height is 1.90 - 1.95 meters. This growth of the Divine Qin army could not be. The finished sculpture was fired in kilns, with a firing temperature of 1,000 degrees. After, the artists painted them with natural colors. Slightly faded colors can still be seen today. However, after a few minutes spent in the air, the colors disappear.

Eleven passages of the main row of warriors are separated by walls. Whole tree trunks were laid on top, covered with mats and 30 cm of cement, and another 3 m of earth on top. This was done in order to protect the deceased emperor among the living.

But alas, the calculation could not justify their expectations, a few years later this mighty terracotta army was defeated.

Qin Shi Huang Ding died and his son Er Shi Huang Ding became the ruler of the empire. His inability to manage caused a storm of indignation among the people. The revolt of the people, whom the advisers feared, nevertheless occurred 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. His surplus Qin Shi Huang 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. Government troops were defeated. The son of the great emperor was killed by his own courtiers.

For many centuries, robbers have been eager to dig up treasures, for some it has cost their lives. Amazingly, the terracotta soldiers kept the spirit of their ruler as best they could. They say that human skeletons were also found among the excavations. Ancient manuscripts say that colossal treasures were buried with the divine Qin, including a golden throne.

Qin Shi Huang knew how to create intrigue with his riddles. And one of the versions suggests that he was buried elsewhere, and this is just the scenery. And if so, then the scale of a true burial can only be drawn in fantasies.

Removing the figures from the ground, archaeologists were puzzled by the problem - the paint instantly (5 minutes) dried and burst. And a solution was found - after various treatments (immersion in a container with a humid microclimate, coating with a special composition and irradiation), the warriors are exhibited in museums around the world, now about 1500 statues have been removed. There is a museum directly at the place of discovery, the first exposition opened in 1979, but it appeared in all its glory in 1994.

Along with the Great Wall of China and the Shaolin Monastery, the Terracotta Army in China is on the list of the world's most famous landmarks. If you are lucky enough to travel around Asia, and specifically in China , then be sure to check out the Xi'an Terracotta Army Museum.

The Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in China in 1987.

The rich and mysterious history of China, numbering thousands of years, reveals its secrets to mankind. One of these mysteries is terracotta army in china, which is considered by many to be one of the eight wonders of the world.

The cruel and ambitious ruler Qin Shi Huang, known in history as the unifier of the lands, declared himself the first emperor of the Qin Empire. Many reforms aimed at establishing unconditional power are associated with it. For example, he established territorial districts, introduced a single standardization for measuring weights and length, writing, construction, and even the width of the axle of carts. In an effort to strengthen power and make it eternal, even after death, the emperor wanted to have a powerful army at his disposal. He ordered to bury with him about 4 thousand young soldiers. And according to legend, only the inevitability of riots forced the emperor to abandon this idea. The warriors were replaced by clay figurines, for reliability their number was doubled. The army was deployed to the East, since from this side the ruler felt a danger to the Qin empire. So, together with the emperor, in 210-209. BC. an entire army was buried, which has about 8100 warriors made of terracotta clay with uniforms and horses.

About the history of excavations

Where is the terracotta army located in China? Near the city of Xi'an in the province of Shengbsi, peasants came across many pottery shards. It was believed that such finds bring bad luck. In 1974, while digging a well, the farmer Yan Ji Wang discovered the first figure of a warrior made of clay. This was the beginning of a grandiose excavation.

Very soon, scientists realized that a whole army was opening up before them, which had a history of two thousand years. Excavations of this unique "dead army" have been going on for several decades, but much still remains hidden, and the mystery has not been fully solved.

Terracotta Army in China located on several levels. In 1974, the first tier was opened. The vanguard of the army has about 6 thousand figures of warriors. After 10 years, the second tier was opened with 2 thousand clay warriors. A decade later, the headquarters of the army was discovered, which consisted of figures of the highest military leadership. A little later, the statues of musicians, officials, acrobats were opened. Since 2009, the latest stage of these grandiose excavations began, which uncovered more than 600 different clay statues.

army sculptures

The legend claims that about 48 concubines and 70 thousand artisans who made figures were buried with the emperor. Archaeologists have discovered many graves located near the main burial ground. But the most amazing find is the army, consisting of 8 thousand infantry, archers and cavalry, which was hidden under the earth.

Amazing terracotta warriors had their own characteristics:

• The height of the figures is from 1.78 to 2.01 m, which does not correspond to the height of real people of that time.
• The leading officers are taller than ordinary soldiers.
• All soldiers of the army are deployed in battle formations. For example, archers are on one knee, which eliminates possible interference with the second row of warriors for shooting. This makes it possible to evaluate the military tactical science of that time.
• Each pose and faces of the warriors are different from each other. No two warriors are the same. This gives grounds to assume that living warriors of Emperor Qin served as kind for the clay army.
• Interestingly, by nationality, clay figurines were depicted not only by the Chinese. Among them there are Tibetan and Mongolian types of faces.
• The figures are reproduced with pedantic precision in detail. Clothing, hairstyles, armor, shoes - everything corresponds to that time.
• After making the sculptures, they were fired in kilns at a temperature of more than 1000 degrees. Further, all the figures were painted in natural colors, the remains of which are still partially preserved.
• The main array of warriors has 11 passages, which are separated by walls. From above, the rows were covered with tree trunks, covered with mats and a 30 cm layer of cement. All this was covered with a layer of earth of 3 meters.

During the excavations, archaeologists faced a difficult task. When removing from the ground the paint that covered the figures, for 5 minutes. dried up, began to burst and crumble. But the task of conservation was found. The figures were placed in a tank with a certain humidity, covered with a special solution and irradiated. Thereby, terracotta army in china has been preserved in its original form. In 1987, Emperor Qin's army was included in the specially protected objects of UNXCO.

When visiting China, along with the Great Wall of China and the Shaolin Monastery, one should not miss the museum in the city of Xi'an. A grandiose spectacle will appear before you - a huge army of ancient warriors with weapons, horsemen on chariots skillfully molded by the ancient masters of China.