No. 86
Terracotta Army
- Where
- China
- Built by
- First Emperor of China
- Era
- 210 BCE
- Known for
- About 8,000 clay soldiers guarding a tomb that is still unopened.
- How it ended
- The pits were burned by rebels as the Qin dynasty fell in 206 BCE.
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Background
The Terracotta Army is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China. It is a form of funerary art buried with the emperor in 210–209 BCE in his mausoleum with the purpose of protecting him in his afterlife.
The figures, dating from approximately the late 200s BCE, were discovered in 1974 by local farmers in Lintong County, outside Xi'an, Shaanxi, China. The figures vary in height according to their rank, the tallest being the generals. The figures include warriors, chariots and horses. Estimates from 2007 were that the three pits containing the Terracotta Army hold more than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses, and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which remain in situ. Other, non-military terracotta figures have since been found in other pits, including those of officials, acrobats, strongmen, and musicians.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.