Student 1
This terra cotta warrior sample provides a quickwrite sample for combining different types of
resources. If every resource is a website, it can lack variety. Primary resources are always best
(actual artifacts, interviews, historical essays/papers by people who lived in the time period), so
it's a good idea to access the National Archive in Perris (mentioned in another text block).
Additionally, all photos in the poster must be cited in the annotated bibliography.
Joe Student
National History Day
Leadership and Legacy
October 12, 2014
The Sleeping Army
A sleeping army lay buried underground, awaiting the opportunity to take the world
unaware. Of course, being made from terra cotta clay, it would hardly be able to conquer
militarily. However, over 2,000 years ago Emperor Shi Huangdi left a testament to his military
conquest and iron rule. Although he only held on to power for 15 years, China’s first emperor
was uniquely able to organize a feudal society into a sprawling empire.
On a typical spring day in March 1974, farmers working in a field came upon a surprising
discovery when their shovel dug into not earth, but hard clay. Typically farmers plant
persimmons and pomegranates, but this day they were unearthing artifacts (Lubow 2009). After
unearthing their discovery they realized they had found figures of men made from terra cotta
(O’Conner 412). These figures were obviously soldiers, because of their uniforms and weapons.
All of the figures were life-sized replicas, it is believed, of actual soldiers from Emperor Shi
Huangdi’s army. Uniquely positioned facing East, every figure faces the direction of other
Chinese states that were conquered and transformed into united provinces (Porter 437). No two
faces are identical to one another.
An array of special armament adorns the terra cotta warriors. Rather than sculpting
breakable weapons, the figurines are set in military marching formations four and five abreast.
Student 2
They are armed with swords, spears, and crossbows (Gottdiner). Ironically, many of the warriors
do not wear helmets or carry shields, which represented bravery in battle (Placanica 7). There
are very few weapons remaining, probably due to grave robbers over the years. Those weapons
that remain, however, are still sharp as a razor.
Another ancient people group buried their leaders with similar respect and dignity.
Rather than thousands of clay soldiers, however, the ancient Pharaohs of Egypt were buried
above the desert sand under thousands, even millions of granite stone slabs. They seemed to
have a shared belief in an afterlife, for which supplies, tools, and servants would be necessary. It
was hoped, therefore, that the presence of mummified servants would serve a similar purpose to
terra cotta warriors. Obviously Emperor Shi Huangi, also known as the fierce tiger of Qin, the
divine Son of Heaven, was prepared to handle any challenge thrown his way (O’Conner 413).
He was a conqueror on earth, and he looked forward to being a conqueror again in the afterlife.
In spite of having 700,000 people work on his tomb of 7,000 warriors, Emperor Shi
Haungdi’s dynasty ended after only 15 years. Similar to the military society of Adolf Hitler, his
absolute power produced absolute hatred among his subjects, who revolted and established the
Han dynasty. To his credit, he took warring states of greedy nobles and forged them into a
powerful, unified empire that cuts through the pages of history. His dynasty, in effect, gave the
Chinese people the skeletal structure upon which could be built the vast cultural
accomplishments of the later Han dynasty.
Student 3
Armored Kneeling Archer
Annotated Bibliography*
Gottdiner, Doug. (2013, February). The Great Wall of China. Riverside: Woodcrest Elementary.
Lecture
This class lecture provided a general overview of the Qin Dynasty. The coil pottery
method used in the forming of the terra cotta warriors was painstaking. Particular
care had to be used, or they would easily crumble. This resource was beneficial for
learning the craftsmanship required for the assembling and bisque firing of the warriors.
Lubow, Arthur. Terra cotta soldiers on the march. Smithsonian Magazine. July 2009. Web. 15
October 2014.
<http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/On-the-March-Terra-CottaSoldiers.html>
This website details the sheer scale of the terra cotta warrior project. It provided insight
not only into the enormity of the project, but also into the painstaking care given to
each individual warrior’s facial features. It is a paradox that such a legalistic emperor
would think individual features were important.
Student 4
Placanica, Helen.“The construction projects of Shi-Huangdi”. Eds. Baker, R. & F. Baker.
Calliope: China’s first emperor: Shi-Huangdi. Peterborough: Cobblestone Publishing,
Inc. October 1997. 27-31. Print.
For a specific look each building project accomplished by this unique emperor, look no
further. This periodical contains many specific examples, and showcases the grandest
discovery of them all, the terra cotta warriors.
Porter, Priscilla, ed. Reflections: Ancient civilizations. Orlando: Harcourt, Inc. 2007. 414. Print.
This school text offered general information about the terra cotta warriors. It was
beneficial for an introduction into the content of the chose thesis regarding the Qin
Dynasty and how its leadership affected the development of modern China under the
Han.
O’Connor, Jane. “The emperor’s silent army”. In Reflections: Ancient Civilizations Ed. P. Porter.
Orlando: Harcourt, Inc. 2007. 410-413. Print.
From its initial discovery to its preservation and care, this article provides a helicopter
view of the Qin Dynasty’s terra cotta warriors. The timeline of events from creation, to
burial, to being lost and found is a remarkable perspective for the reader to enjoy.
Qin Dynasty. “Armored Kneeling Archer”. 221-206 BCE. Terracotta. Minneapolis Institute of
the Arts. 28 October 2012. Web. 3 Nov. 2014
This particular terra cotta warrior has a striking facial expression. One can almost “see”
him looking at his emperor, and knows he is ready to serve him in this life, and in
whatever fate awaits him in the next.
*An annotated bibliography is a regular bibliography + a short explanation of the resource and
its usefulness to the project’s research. It helps the judge see into the mind of the student, and
decide how well they used a wide variety of primary and secondary resources. Some contestants
find it helpful to separate their bibliography into a Primary Resource and Secondary Resource
Section.
MLA formatting links:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/05/
Poster:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/jpeg/MLAPoster09.jpg
Student Samples, Follow the Bibliography link:
http://www.nhd.org/contest-affiliates/examples/#toggle-id-2
Student 5
Required
Elements
Indent
second
line.
PowerPoint
Class
Lecture
Internet
article
Reading
Book
Calliope
magazine
History
Book
Bibliography Examples Identified by Type
Last name, First Name. Title Captialized in Italics. City: Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium
of Publication.
Gottdiner, Doug. (2011, February). The Great Wall of China. Lecture given in History: Ancient
China, Woodcrest Elementary, Riverside, CA.
Lubow, Arthur. Terra cotta soldiers on the march. Smithsonian Magazine. July 2009. Web. 15
October 2014.
<http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/On-the-March-Terra-CottaSoldiers.html>
Mann, Elizabeth. (2003). “The great wall”. In Cooper, J.D. & Pikulski, J.J., Reading: California.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 391-401.
Placanica, Helen. “The construction projects of Shi-Huangdi”. Eds. Baker, R. & F. Baker.
Calliope: China’s first emperor: Shi-Huangdi. Peterborough: Cobblestone Publishing,
Inc. October 1997. 27-31. Print.
Porter, Priscilla, ed. Reflections: Ancient civilizations. Orlando: Harcourt, Inc. 2007. 414. Print.
History
Book
Article
O’Connor, Jane. “The emperor’s silent army”. In Reflections: Ancient Civilizations Ed. P. Porter.
Orlando: Harcourt, Inc. 2007. 410-413. Print.
Web
Photo
Qin Dynasty. “Armored Kneeling Archer”. 221-206 BCE. Terracotta. Minneapolis Institute of
the Arts. 28 October 2012. Web. 3 Nov. 2014
Time for
Kids
National
Geographic
Rudy, Lisa Joe “The Silk Road”. Time for Kids Readers. Orlando: Harcourt, Inc. 2007. Print.
Sochurek, Howard. “Berlin on both sides of the wall”. National Geographic. December 1970: 3.
Print.