The Terra Cotta Warriors
cctv.com 01-18-2006 16:47
The Terra Cotta Warriors are one of the most significant archeological discoveries of the 20th century.
Upon ascending the throne at the age of 13, Qin Shi Huang, later the first Emperor of all China, had work begun on his mausoleum. It took 11 years to finish. You can visit the tomb site, which just looks like a cone shaped hill in the countryside. As far as archaeologists can tell, the tomb itself has not been disturbed or pillaged. One can only imagine what incredible treasures lie below this man-made hill, as the authorities have decided to not pursue any excavations until they are absolutely sure that the technology exists to preserve whatever treasures are discovered. There are some historical records of how the tomb was prepared, but much of the true story is shrouded in mystery.
For example, nobody knew of the existence of this underground army until a peasant discovered it while digging an irrigation well in 1974. This caught the attention of archeologists immediately, who came to Xian in droves to study and to extend the digs. The State Council authorized the building of a museum on the site in 1975, which was opened to the public in 1979.
There are now three pits of different sizes containing thousands of foot soldiers, archers, officers, generals, cavalrymen, horses and chariots. Pit 1 contains thousands of soldiers in strict formation. Pit 3 with only with 68 warriors, a war chariot and four horses is thought to be the army鈥檚 central command. However, no one figure can be identified as the leader of the army. Perhaps that role was reserved for the Emperor himself, as it appears that the army was intended to provide the emperor with adequate protection in the afterlife.
Work is ongoing at this site, which is around 1.5 kilometers east of the first Emperor鈥檚 Tomb. Scientists are testing new technologies to better preserve the statues before they continue to excavate the remaining parts of the site.
UNESCO formally listed the terracotta warriors as a world heritage site in 1987. This is clearly a destination that should not be missed by any visitor to China.
Editor:Wang Ping Source:CCTV.com
