15 Amazing Facts About the Terracotta Army You Want to Read
The Terracotta Army was built 2000 years ago to guard the mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. It reflects the great ambition of Emperor Qin Shihuang to rule the world.
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1. When did the Terracotta Warriors build
The Terracotta Warriors and Horses were built over 2000 years ago. They were approximately started to build in 246 B.C. and 247 B.C., but the specific date cannot be verified. The whole construction was completed in 208 B.C., totally lasted 38 years. The Terracotta Army has a history of over 2200 years so far.
2. Why was the Terracotta Army built
The Terracotta Army was built to guard the mausoleum of the First Emperor (Qin Shi Huang).
Emperor Qin Shi Huang hoped to have a powerful army to guard his mausoleum, or to put it another way, he hoped to use a terracotta army to be buried with him. As a brilliant and powerful leader, even after death, he wanted to command a massive army and fight against his enemies. By burying so many terracotta figures, he aimed to demonstrate his great achievements in unifying the six kingdoms and conquering the country.
3. How many Terracotta Warriors are there
There are approximately 9,368 terracotta warriors and horses in the Terracotta Army Museum.
The terracotta warriors and horses are arranged in three pits. The first pit, which was initially discovered, contains over 8,000 terracotta warriors and horses. The second pit, located to the east of the first pit, contains over 1,300 pottery figurines of warriors and horses. While the third pit, located to the west of the first pit, contains a total of 68 terracotta warriors and horses.
4. How tall is the Terracotta Warrior
Among the 6,000 unearthed terracotta warriors, the average height is 1.85 meters. The shortest is 1.75 meters and the tallest reaches up to 2 meters.
The terracotta warriors are 15.3cm (0.5ft) slightly taller than modern people.
5. How heavy is a Terracotta Warrior
The Terracotta Warriors have an average weight of around 180 kg, with the heaviest one weighing over 300 kg and the lightest one weighing over 100 kg.
They have an average height of 1.7 to 1.9 meters. The tallest one among them reaches a height of 2.5 meters and has feet that are 54 sizes long, making it a "giant" among the warriors.
6. How long did it take to build the Terracotta Army
According to the archaeological discoveries of relics and artifacts, It took about 38 years to build the Terracotta Army.
The Terracotta Army was started to build in 246 B.C, and the whole construction was completed in 208 B.C., which totally lasted 38 years
7. When did the Terracotta Army discovered
The Terracotta Army was discovered in 1978 by a group of farmers in Shanxi Province while digging a well 1.5km east of Emperor Qin’s mausoleum.
They found several broken fragments of pottery warriors, then immediately contact local authorities who notifies archaeologists in this region. This pottery led to the discovery of the first warrior of the Terracotta Army.
8. Why the Terracotta Warriors face east
The direction of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses is in accordance with the funeral customs of the Warring States period.
The east is where the sun rises, and it symbolizes hope and brightness. Facing east represents the responsibility and hope placed on the soldiers. The arrangement of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses also follows this Feng Shui pattern.
9. How many people it took to build the Terracotta Army
It took about 800 000 laborers to build the Terracotta Army. This huge project lasted for 38 years to complete. Emperor Qin Shi Huang began building his mausoleum at the age of 13 when he ascended the throne, and the project was not completed until after his death.
10. What does the Terracotta Army tell you about Shi Huangdi
The Terracotta Warriors reflect the great ambition of Emperor Qin Shihuang to rule the world and conquer all under heaven.
In Qin Shihuang's eyes, the Terracotta Warriors represented authority, ambition, conquest, and an indomitable ambition to dominate the world.
Qin Shihuang was a great emperor, whose faith was only in "power", and whose ideology was only in "conquest". Through the Terracotta Warriors, we can discover Qin Shihuang's insatiable ambition to be the ruler for generations to come.
11. Three Pits of Terracotta Army Exhibited to the Public
Three pits have been excavated and displayed in Terracotta Army Museum. Designated as Pit 1, Pit 2, and pit 3 according to the time of discovery. Pit 1 was originally discovered in 1974 by local farmers while digging a well, then the archaeologists take years to continue to drill around and eventually unearthed pits 2 and 3.
12. Terracotta Warriors originally brightly painted
When originally made, the terracotta warriors and horses were painted with exquisite colors.
Having been buried underground for over 2,200 years and experienced burning, collapsing, and flooding, once excavated their colors have tended to fade and turn to grey. A study showed that the lacquer layer under the pigments of the terracotta army will oxidize and curl in just 15 seconds and peel off within 4 minutes when exposed to air.
Technology today, however, has helped us reveal the true colors of the terracotta army.
13. Terracotta Warriors were originally equipped with Weapons in their hands
These pottery warriors were equipped with weapons like swords, Spear, and crossbows at the time they were completed. but many of the weapons have been stolen.
In the late Qin Dynasty, civil wars break out frequently, bronze weapons are widely used in battles, and it’s also a kind of rare metal material. The peasant armies coveted the weapons in the hands of this underground army, they dug and robbed the tomb.
The archaeologists have found many weapons lying in pieces in the pits, now displayed in the Terracotta Army Museum. Marvelous preservation of bronze weapons retaining shiny and almost pristine surfaces after being buried for more than 2,200 years.
14. Terracotta Warriors are all "single eyelids"
The verifiable reason why terracotta warriors are single eyelids? 2,200 years ago, The Qin State governed the northwest of China, people there are East Asian Mongolian. The physiological feature of this race was a single eyelid, which was named the "Mongolian fold".
"Mongolian fold" is also called "epicanthus", that is, oblique or vertical folds from the upper or lower eyelids towards the medial canthus. This typical facial character is commonly found in East and Southeast Asian nations.
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15. Emperor Qin's Personal Mausoleum Has Not Been Excavated
The Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor is actually a luxurious underground palace. According to historical records, it contains a vast amount of treasure, such as lacquerware, silk, ceramics, paintings, bronze vessels, precious jewelry, etc. Owing to both natural and human factors, however, the emperor’s tomb itself hasn’t been excavated yet. There are three major reasons for this:
Firstly, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage stipulated a policy long ago not to take the initiative to excavate any emperors' tombs.
Secondly, the Mausoleum of Emperor Qin is a huge labyrinth of pits. More than 180 funerary pits were discovered. The terracotta army was in just one section of these pits, and there are many other unknown sections. This is an arduous long-term mission that demands careful step-by-step planning.
Thirdly, the protection and excavation of the Mausoleum is a delicate project. With the absence of local and peripheral knowledge, coupled with the immaturity of preservation techniques on unearthed cultural relics and research ability, we can’t be sure of getting into the tomb without destroying some of its contents.