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Terracotta Army

✨ The Guardians of Eternity

The Terracotta Army is part of the vast mausoleum complex built for Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor to unify China. Located near Xi’an in Shaanxi Province, the complex was begun in 246 BC, when Qin Shi Huang was still king, and construction continued until his death in 210 BC. The clay army was discovered in 1974 by farmers digging a well. Archaeologists have since excavated several large pits containing thousands of life-size figures, including soldiers, horses and chariots.

The warriors were made from fired clay, with separate parts assembled and then finished by hand. Their faces, hairstyles, clothing and equipment vary, suggesting that the craftsmen created many individual features rather than making every figure identical. Originally, the figures were painted in bright colours, although much of the pigment disappeared after excavation and exposure to air.

The army was placed near the emperor’s tomb as part of a large funerary complex intended to accompany him in the afterlife. The pits also contain real bronze weapons, while other areas of the mausoleum have produced figures representing officials, musicians, acrobats and other attendants. These discoveries provide valuable evidence about the military organization, crafts and society of Qin China.

The emperor’s central burial chamber has not been excavated, so many details about its interior remain unknown. Ancient historical records describe features such as rivers made with mercury, but these accounts cannot be fully verified because the chamber remains sealed. The mausoleum complex, including the Terracotta Army, was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987. It remains an active archaeological site, where research and conservation continue to improve our understanding of the Qin dynasty.

💡 Did you know?

Did you know that the soldiers weren't gray originally? When they were made, they were painted with very bright colors: red, blue, pink, and green! Unfortunately, as soon as archaeologists opened the pits and the statues were touched by the air, the paint peeled and disappeared in a few minutes.

Emperor Qin Shi Huang was obsessed with security. To keep the secret of his tomb, it is said that all the workers and craftsmen who had worked there were locked inside! He wanted to be sure that no one could ever come and steal his treasures or disturb his eternal rest.

We haven't discovered everything yet! The emperor's tomb itself is hidden under an artificial hill and has never been opened by archaeologists. It is said to contain rivers of liquid mercury representing the rivers of China, and the ceiling is decorated with stars made of precious stones. It's a mystery waiting to be revealed.