Terra Cotta Warriors of Emperor Qin
The first emperor of China, Ying Zheng, became king at age 13. Shortly after, he
conquered surrounding warring states to take control and create an empire. As
Emperor, he changed his name to Qin Shi Huang Di (chin she-hwong-dee), First
Emperor of the Qin. He ruled for 11 years.
Many of his reforms have lasted over 2,000 years.
~created a central administration for government
~built a network of roads across China
~standard set of weights and measure
~uniform currency
~unified writing which still exists
~began construction of Great Wall
~pioneered mass production system
Work began on his tomb shortly after he ascended the throne. His tomb complex
covers 19 square miles. To provide the Emperor in the afterlife, his tomb is filled
with a wide range of items to serve his needs and a terra cotta army to protect
him there.
The warriors were discovered in March 1974 by a group of men digging a well
along the Wei River near the city of Xi'an. The tomb complex of the First Emperor
has since been dubbed the Eighth Wonder of the World.
To date, only 1,100 figures have been excavated and restored.
The average warrior is 6 feet tall and weighs 300-400 lbs.
The hands and heads of the warriors were mass produced. Then a thin layer of
clay was added to the faces and carved by the artists. They sculpted individual
facial features for each figure by hand. Many of the faces are thought to
resemble the artists themselves or some real person or military figure. It is
believed that no two faces are identical.
Originally, the soldiers were painted with pigments made from minerals mixed
with either egg white or animal blood.
The legs and feet of each warrior are solid clay to support the weight of the
figure. To create the torso, artisans built up coils of clay; the hands, arms and
head were molded separately and then attached.
When a figure was complete, a layer of fine clay was applied to the entire
sculpture so individual details could be incised by hand. After this was
completed, the statues were fired at high temperatures.
The warriors' hands are positioned to hold weapons, many of which were stolen
during the rebellions that followed the emperor's death.
The army faced east, towards a pass in the mountains through which enemies
might approach.
There are four pits of varying sizes, three of which contain warriors, filled with an
estimated 7,000 figures along with hundreds of horses, chariots and weapons.
Pit 1 is the largest at 203 feet x 755 feet, roughly the size of two and two-thirds
football fields, and was the first to be discovered. Ranks of terra cotta warriors,
horses and chariots were placed in formation throughout this space. The
vanguard includes 210 foot soldiers divided equally into three lines. The cavalry
and war chariots follow close in line, forming the main body of the battle
formation. The foot soldiers are alternated with the chariots drawn by horses,
lined into 38 columns. On both the northern and southern sides of the war
formation stand 180 warriors which serve as flank guards. The rear guards are
on the western end, with two lines facing east and another facing west. Some
soldiers are armed with battle robe, and some are equipped with armor. Armor
took a long time to make, resources were scarce. Soldiers had to earn their
armor by showing they were worthy on the battlefield.
It was dug to a depth of about 15 feet with 11 corridors. There are five sloping
entrances on both the eastern and western sides. Every three yards, there is a
puddle wall, which separates the underground army into different columns. The
walls were fortified with wooden columns, earth and reeds with the floor was
covered with black bricks.
A framework of wooden pillars and beams covered with planks, matting and a
plaster shell formed the roof. The whole area was covered with earth mounded
about 6 feet above the original ground surface.
A variety of different weaponry including bronze swords, spears, crossbows,
arrows and Wugou was found in Pit One. Wugou is a type of sword that is
curved and sharp.
Pits 2 and 3 were constructed in similar fashion. The figures contained in the
smaller Pit 2 are more varied. The ranks include cavalrymen, over 100 chariots
each pulled by four horses and at least 200 standing and kneeling archers. More
than 45,000 arrowheads have been found scattered among the soldiers.
Combat formations in Pit 2 are more complex and the units of armed forces are
more complete. Over 80 war chariots, 1,300 warriors and horses and thousands
of bronze weapons. This pit contained the first found general, kneeling archer
and warrior with saddle horse. The pit is L shaped and 16 feet deep.
Bronze swords unearthed in Pit 2 measure 34 inches long and are carved with
eight symmetrical facets. Buried for over 2,000 years, they are still very sharp,
smooth, and surprisingly pliable. Coated with a chrome oxide film that has only
been mastered in modern times, how did the Qin people do it that long ago?
Pit 3 is even smaller and is the only one to be completely excavated. This pit was
meant to serve as a command center for the underground army. It contains just
68 soldiers, most of them guards with a few officers stationed behind a single
chariot, perhaps meant for the supreme commander. Various kinds of bronze
weaponry as well as gold, stone, and bronze decorations were found in this pit.
This pit was not burned like the other two, so warriors unearthed are more
splendid than those found in the other two pits. Many of the warriors in this pit do
not have heads. They have been destroyed outside the pit or stolen by vandals.
Pit 4 is incomplete and contains no figures, suggesting that work ceased in the
rebellions following the death of Qin Shi Huang Di.
The Emperor’s tomb has not yet been disturbed. Historical records suggest the
coffin of the first emperor is encased in copper and sits in a large tomb chamber
full of fine vessels, precious stones and other rarities. The ceiling of the chamber
is thought to be studded with jewels that represent the stars, sun and moon.
While on the floor, rivers of mercury represent the earth.