Terracotta Army: 8,100. figures of soldiers and horsemen in the tomb of China's First Qin Emperor
July 7, 2025
The Terracotta Army, one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century, is a monumental monument to the power and ambition of the first emperor of unified China. In underground chambers near Xi'an rest more than 8,000 clay warriors, horses and chariots, created with extraordinary precision and individuality. This extraordinary army, buried more than 2,200 years ago, was meant to protect Emperor Qin Shi Huang in the afterlife, and today stands as a priceless testament to the craftsmanship, technology and organization of ancient China. Discovered by accident in 1974 by local farmers digging a well, the Terracotta Army reveals the secrets of the empire that laid the foundations of modern China.
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History and discovery of the Terracotta Army
The Terracotta Army, also known as the Terracotta Army, was commissioned by Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of unified China, who reigned from 221-210 BC. This ambitious ruler, known for building the Great Wall and standardizing writing, weights and measures, began preparations for the afterlife almost immediately after taking the throne. According to historical records, construction of his mausoleum began around 221 B.C., as soon as the unification of China under his scepter was complete.
Work on the tomb and its accompanying army was an undertaking on an unprecedented scale. It is estimated that more than 700,000 prisoners and forced laborers were mobilized for the monumental project and resettled at the construction site. For more than a decade, they worked to create an underground complex that would ensure the emperor's eternal life and protection.
Over the centuries, knowledge of the Terracotta Army's existence was lost, and its rediscovery came about completely by accident. On March 29, 1974, a group of local farmers from Xiyang village, digging a well during a drought, came across fragments of clay figures. Little did they realize that they had just made one of the most important archaeological discoveries of the 20th century. News of the find quickly reached the authorities, who organized professional excavation work.
The first official excavations began in July 1974 and quickly revealed the scale of the discovery. Archaeologists discovered three main pits containing thousands of terracotta figures in battle formations. The largest of these, known as Pit No. 1, contains an estimated 6,000 warriors lined up in 11 rows, representing the main body of the army. Pit No. 2 houses cavalry and infantry units, and Pit No. 3, the smallest, probably served as a command center.
The excavations were a huge logistical challenge. Some 70,000 cubic meters of earth had to be removed from Pit No. 1 alone, equivalent to the payload of 5,500 modern trucks. Excavations continue to this day, and archaeologists estimate that only part of the tomb complex has been uncovered so far. The Qin Emperor's tomb itself, located about 1.5 kilometers from the army pits, remains intact.
Historians believe that the Terracotta Army was part of a much larger project. According to the records of historian Sim Qian, who lived about a century after the First Emperor's death, the tomb contained a miniature model of the empire with rivers made of mercury and a vault depicting stars. Modern research has confirmed the presence of unusually high concentrations of mercury in the soil around the burial mound, suggesting that the ancient descriptions may be true.
It is interesting to note that, according to legend, all the craftsmen and laborers who worked on the construction of the tomb were buried alive along with the emperor to keep the location and contents of the mausoleum a secret. Although modern historians question the veracity of the story, it underscores the despotic nature of Qin Shi Huang's rule and the terror he inspired among his subjects.
In 1987, just 13 years after its discovery, UNESCO listed the Terracotta Army as a World Heritage Site, recognizing its exceptional historical and artistic value. Today, it is one of China's most important symbols and a must-see for tourists visiting Xi'an.
Unique features and cultural significance of the Cultural
The Terracotta Army stands out from other ancient monuments because of the extraordinary precision of its workmanship and the individualization of its figures. Each of the more than 8,000 warriors has unique facial features, hairstyle and clothing details, suggesting that they may have been modeled after actual soldiers of the imperial army. The research showed that the figures were created using a modular technique - basic body parts were mass-produced, but faces and details were added individually, allowing for mass production while maintaining the uniqueness of each figure.
The height of the warriors averages 1.8 meters, which corresponds to the height of soldiers of the time and even slightly exceeds it, emphasizing their superhuman, heroic character. Figures vary according to rank and function. One can recognize ordinary infantrymen, archers, officers of higher rank, as well as chariot drivers. Each group has distinctive elements of dress, armament and posture.
Originally, all the figures were richly polychromed, covered with bright colors that gave them an even more realistic appearance. Unfortunately, contact with air after excavation caused the pigments to degrade quickly, and most of the figures lost their colors within minutes or hours of excavation. Modern conservation techniques have preserved some parts of the original polychrome, and researchers are working on methods to reconstruct the army's original appearance.
The terracotta warriors were equipped with real weapons - swords, bows, spears and crossbows. Many of these weapons have survived to the present day, and their analysis has provided valuable information about the military technology of ancient China. Particularly impressive are the bronze swords, which even after more than two thousand years have retained their sharpness thanks to advanced chrome plating technology, which the Chinese mastered long before its rediscovery in Europe in the 18th century.
The battle formations in which the figures are arranged reflect the actual military tactics used by the Qin army. The main infantry forces are lined up in compact formation, with archers and crossbowmen on the wings and cavalry ready to flank the enemy. This precisely planned formation testifies to the high level of military organization in ancient China and is an invaluable resource for military historians.
In addition to warriors, the Terracotta Army also includes figures of horses and chariots. More than 520 harness horses for 130 chariots and 150 cavalry horses were discovered. As with the soldiers, each horse has individual features, and their anatomy has been reproduced with extreme precision. The chariots, which were made of wood, unfortunately did not survive to the present day, but metal elements of harness and decoration have been preserved to reconstruct their appearance.
A lesser-known aspect of the Terracotta Army are the figures of civil officials and artists, discovered in smaller pits. Their presence suggests that the emperor wanted to recreate in the hereafter not only his military power, but also the administrative structure of the empire. Figures of acrobats, musicians and other figures were also found to make the emperor's afterlife more pleasant.
The process of creating the Terracotta Army was extremely technologically advanced for its time. Archaeologists have discovered the remains of a ceramic workshop near the tomb where the figures were produced. Analysis of the clay showed that it came from various sources, suggesting a well-organized system of raw material supply. Signatures of craftsmen were found on many of the figurines, identifying more than 80 different workshops involved in production.
The Terracotta Army is of great importance for understanding the history and culture of ancient China. It provides tangible proof of the power of the first emperor and his vision of a unified empire. At the same time, it illustrates beliefs about the afterlife, according to which a ruler needed the same attributes of power in the hereafter as he did during his lifetime. The tomb complex is also a testament to the organizational capacity of the Qin state, which was able to mobilize vast human and material resources to realize the emperor's vision.
Touring and Discovering the Mysteries of the Terracotta Army
The Terracotta Army is located in Lintong District, about 40 kilometers east of downtown Xi'an, Shaanxi Province. The museum complex, officially known as the Mausoleum Museum of the First Qin Emperor, consists of several exhibition halls built directly over the excavation sites, allowing visitors to observe the statues in their original archaeological context.
The largest and most impressive part of the complex is Hall No. 1, covering Pit No. 1 with an area of more than 14,000 square meters. This huge space houses the main part of the army - thousands of infantrymen lined up in battle formation. The view from the elevated visitor platform allows one to grasp the scale of the undertaking and the precision with which the deployment of the warriors was planned. In part of the pit, excavation work is still underway, providing a unique opportunity to observe archaeologists at work.
Hall 2 presents more diverse military formations, including archer units, cavalry and chariots. Although smaller than the first, it contains some of the best-preserved figures, including the famous kneeling archer, considered one of the masterpieces of ancient sculpture. This hall uses innovative display solutions, allowing visitors to see the figures up close and admire the details of their workmanship.
Hall 3, the smallest of the main pavilions, houses the supposed command center of the army. Figures of high-ranking officers and unique artifacts related to military ceremonies are found here. This part of the exhibition provides insight into the hierarchy and command structure of the Qin army.
In 1999, the complex added the Bronze Chariot and Horse Museum, which displays two perfectly preserved 1:2 scale bronze chariots discovered in 1980 west of the emperor's tomb. These extremely precise models, consisting of more than 3,000 parts, depict the emperor's vehicles along with their harnesses and coachmen. Their discovery was a breakthrough in the study of the metallurgical technology of ancient China.
For visitors who want to better understand the historical context, the complex includes an Education Center with multimedia presentations on the history of the Qin Dynasty, the process of China's unification and the construction of the tomb. It also displays a documentary on the discovery and excavation of the Terracotta Army, available in several languages.
An interesting part of the visit is the opportunity to observe the restoration work. In specially prepared laboratories, which are partially glazed for visitors, archaeologists and conservators work on reconstructing the damaged figures, assembling them from thousands of fragments like a three-dimensional puzzle. This painstaking process can take months for a single statue.
It is worth knowing that despite the impressive scale of the artifacts already discovered, it is estimated that only about 30% of the entire Terracotta Army has been excavated so far. Excavations are being carried out with extreme caution, and some areas have been deliberately left undiscovered, waiting for the development of conservation technologies that will better preserve the finds.
Near the Terracotta Army is the actual tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang - a huge earthen mound 76 meters high and with a base circumference of 1.5 kilometers. Despite being one of the largest tombs in the world, it has not been opened until now. Chinese archaeologists, aware of the preservation problems that followed the discovery of the Terracotta Army, have decided to postpone exploration of the tomb itself until appropriate techniques can be developed to keep its contents intact.
According to ancient records, the tomb's interior is even more spectacular than the surrounding army. Historian Sima Qian wrote that the ceiling of the tomb chamber is decorated with constellations of stars made of pearls, and the floor is covered with a map of the empire with rivers of liquid mercury. Modern geophysical surveys have confirmed unusually high concentrations of mercury in the soil around the mound, suggesting that these descriptions may be true.
The Terracotta Army is not only a tourist attraction, but also an active scientific research site. International teams of archaeologists, conservators and art historians work together to analyze the production techniques, materials and labor organization of the army. Each year, new discoveries are made that expand our knowledge of the Qin era and the beginnings of the Chinese empire.
The discovery of the Terracotta Army has revolutionized our understanding of ancient China and its technological capabilities. The precision of the figures, the advanced weapon-making techniques and the organization of such a massive undertaking testify to the high level of civilization of the Middle Kingdom more than two thousand years ago. For modern Chinese, the Terracotta Army has become a symbol of national pride and cultural continuity, linking today's China to its imperial past.
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