Who Made The Terra Cotta Army
Media:Terra_Cotta_Warriors.pptx
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)
Back in 1974, when the terra cotta head of a warrior turned up in Shaanxi Province as some peasants were digging a well, no one knew the discovery would be treated any differently than that of other local fragments of pottery figures, which had, at best, merely been stored away at the nearby center for cultural affairs. This time, though, a report connecting the head with the first emperor's mausoleum, about three-quarters of a mile away, surfaced just as Mao Zedong was launching an anti-Confucian campaign to rid China of what he deemed vestiges of feudalism. His campaign also promoted the example of the first emperor, who had established a centralized state that allegedly had burned books and buried Confucian scholars alive. Mao had long compared himself with the first emperor. Reportedly realizing the potential for political propaganda, Jiang Qing, Mao's wife, instructed archaeologists to look into the find, and, as they say, the rest is history.
The army of terra cotta warriors was found distributed within three clustered pits. Thus far, about a thousand warriors have been excavated, and it is estimated that there are another six thousand yet to be recovered. These life-size figures represent the army of the Qin, who united all of China by 221 B.C., and they are displayed in the pits in battle formation. There are officers, chariots, cavalrymen and infantrymen, the latter depicted with and without armor and originally armed with crossbows or long-handled weapons. They had held real weapons, most of which were removed from the underground pits before wooden supports were set on fire at the dynasty's end, causing the structure to collapse. All the figures broke in the fall, but because they were discovered where they landed, reconstruction — though tedious — has not been impossible.
The figures were originally constructed using molds to create their legs, arms, hands and heads, which were solid, while their torsos were modeled as if they were urns. Once the parts were assembled, a layer of fine clay was applied and details were added. The facial features include a variety of noses, ears and facial hair to individualize each figure. The hairstyles are particularly well articulated, almost down to each strand. The attention paid to this feature suggests that hairstyling may have been believed to ward off evil. The figures were then fired in a kiln at a relatively low temperature, 950 to 1,050 degrees centigrade, which is typical for terra cotta. Finally, the figures were covered with a coating of lacquer mixed with colors. The final effect must have been quite startling. Some of the colors have survived — enough to indicate what they were originally.
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.
Archaeologists have found the remains of an ancient imperial palace near the tomb of emperor Qin Shi Huang, home of the famous terracotta army, China's state media reported on Sunday.
The palace is the largest complex discovered so far in the emperor's sprawling 22 square-mile (56 square-km) second-century BC mausoleum, which lies on the outskirts of Xi'an, an ancient capital city in central China, an associate researcher at the Shaanxi provincial institute of archaeology told China's official news wire Xinhua.
It is an estimated 690 metres long and 250 metres wide – about a quarter of the size of the Forbidden City in Beijing – and includes 18 courtyard-style houses with one main building at the centre, according to the researcher, Sun Weigang.
Sun called the palace a clear predecessor to the Forbidden City, which was occupied by emperors during the later Ming and Qing dynasties. Both were built on north-south axes in keeping with traditional Chinese cosmology.
Despite wars soon after Qin Shi Huang's death – and more than 2,000 years of exposure – the foundations are well preserved. Archaeologists have found walls, gates, stone roads, pottery sherds and some brickwork, according to Xinhua.
They have been excavating the foundations since 2010. Qin's tomb is guarded by an estimated 6,000 life-sized terracotta warriors, including remarkably well-preserved cavalrymen, chariots and horses, each one unique.--Bill P 16:10, 18 January 2013 (UTC)
References: Xian Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses Museum, Discovery Times Square, Smithsonianmag.com, Travelchinaguide.com, Terracottawarriors.com