|
|
|||||||||
|
 The
Terracotta Army is located inside the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor. It
was discovered in March 1974 during the sinking of wells for farmland
irrigation construction near Xi'an, a Shaanxi province in the People's
Republic of China. Professional excavation of the vaults started soon after.
These figures were constructed by hand for the tomb of the emperor. The Emperor believed that with the burial of these terracotta soldiers he would still have troops at his command. It was also thought that as enemies approached, they would be overwhelmed with the powerful army supporting Emperor Qin and turn away.
The Terracotta Army was buried in battle formation in 3 vaults, 1.5km east of the tomb of the Emperor, which in Xi'an. The three vaults, measuring 4-8 metres deep, have been excavated and a museum has been set up on the ruins. Vault One was opened to the public in 1979, and the whole museum was completed in 1994. Emperor Qin built this army to protect him in the afterlife but itoday it is a major tourist attraction for people all around the world, far from its original purpose.
|
||||||||
The
army consists of more than 7,000 life-size terra cotta figures of warriors
and horses buried with the first Emperor of the Qin dynasty. Each one of
these figures is different, close examination of them reveals details of
their complexions, expressions, ages, hair styles and beards. The figures
were painted before being placed into the vault, the original colours were
visible when the pieces were first unearthed. However exposure to air caused
the pigments to fade so today the unearthed figures appear terracotta in
colour.