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The Terra Cotta Warriors
The terra cotta warriors were accidentally
discovered by Chinese peasants while digging a well. This
discovery prompted archaeologists to proceed to Shaanxi,
China to investigate. No one knows why this site became
buried and lost among memories in the clay and in the minds
of China. What they found was the ancient burial-site of
the first Chinese Emperor Qin Shihuangdi. These warriors
were placed all around the burial tomb of Emperor Qin. Before
Qin, masters were buried with women, slaves, and soldiers.
This tradition during China's feudal period vanished during
the life of Qin. To substitute for the actual humans, Qin
ordered a massive clay army to be produced for his protection.
Qin wanted the afterlife to be the same as his life on earth.
Qin produced a warlike culture in China, which brought him
many enemies. During his lifetime there were three attempts
to assassinate him, so he had to be protected in the afterlife.
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The first site was excavated in 1974. Although
much of the site had been looted soon after it was built,
archaeologists discovered 6,000 pottery figures. This oblong
shaped site is 689 feet long, 197 feet wide. The trenches
that contain the soldiers are 14.8 to 21.3 feet deep. The
actual bodies of the soldiers were formed out of terra cotta
clay. Each soldier was baked in a kiln. The positioning
of the soldiers in the oblong shape shows an actual battle
formation of the troops. These warriors were dressed and
ready for battle. They carried spears and various other
combat weapons. Each warrior is wearing an army uniform
which distinguishes the soldier's rank. The soldier's uniforms
were painted either red or green. They also wore either
brown or black armor. Different types of warriors include
bowman, infantrymen, and among these soldiers are six chariots.
Each soldier has a distinct facial expression. Even the
horses found at this site have different poses. Both the
hands and the heads of the soldiers are detachable. These
pieces of the body were carefully crafted and painted separately.
The purpose of this was to provide the soldier with individuality
and uniqueness. This also shows the quality of Chinese art
during this time. These soldiers were made to be naturalistic.
The height of the normal soldiers ranges from 5 ft. 8 in.
to 6 ft. 2.5 in. Those that rode the chariots were 6 ft.
2.5 in. The commanders were the tallest out of all the soldiers.
They stood 6 ft. 5 in. Clearly height represented the importance
of the officer.
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The second excavation occurred in May
of 1976. This pit contains 1,400 warriors with horses. It
is 64,000 square feet in area. Pit number two differs greatly
from the first pit. The battle formation was square. This
pit contains sixty-four chariots. It has divided groups
which include infantrymen, cavalrymen and even commanders
to guide the troops. This display of soldiers gives insight
into the work that went into the Chinese army. Long distance
battles had to be fought by using many chariots. The facial
expressions of the men in this pit are also very different
from those men in the first pit.
The third pit was discovered in 1980. This
pit is the smallest out of the three discovered. It contains
only one chariot, six warriors, and a small amount of weapons.
This room is thought to be a group of special commanders.
A fourth pit was also discovered. This room is bare. This
room is probably empty because the workers did not complete
the warriors in time for Qin's death.
Archaeologists continue to excavate the
burial site if Emperor Qin. His actual tomb has not been
excavated. These warriors will continue to give insight
into the history of both Chinese art and war tactics. They
represent a microcosm of life during the Qin Dynasty. The
dynasties following Qin would pattern their lives after
this great dynasty of the Fist Emperor of China.
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