Who Made The Terra Cotta Army

From China Studies Wiki
Revision as of 18:05, 18 January 2013 by Bill P (talk | contribs)
Jump to navigation Jump to search
photo by Bill Peterson

The Terra Cotta Army was discovered in 1976, the province of Shaanxi (China) farmers were digging in the ground for water wells.--Bpete49 17:51, 14 January 2013 (UTC)

Terra Cotta Army, photo by Bernt Rosard, cc licence, Flickr.com.

A group of peasants uncovered some pottery while digging for a well nearby the royal tomb in 1974. It caught the attention of archeologists immediately. They came to Xian in droves to study and to extend the digs. They had established beyond doubt that these artifacts were associated with the Qin Dynasty (211-206 BC). Xian Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses Museum

The State Council authorized to build a museum on site in 1975. When completed, people from far and near came to visit. The Museum of Qin Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses have become landmarks on all visitors' itinerary.

Life size terracotta figures of warriors and horses arranged in battle formations are the star features at the museum. They are replicas of what the imperial guard should look like in those days of pomp and vigor.

The museum covers an area of 16,300 square meters, divided into three sections: No. 1 Pit, No. 2 Pit, and No. 3 Pit respectively. They were tagged in the order of their discoveries. No. 1 Pit is the largest, first opened to the public on China's National Day, 1979. There are columns of soldiers at the front, followed by war chariots at the back.

photo by Bill Peterson