National Geographic: China's Ghost Army
(Terracotta Warriors) 2010
Nothing like China's Terracotta Warriors had ever been
Nothing like China's Terracotta Warriors had ever been
created in ancient China, and nothing quite like it has
been created since. Since 1974 experts have attempted
to resolve an enduring enigma about one of archaeology's
greatest discoveries, and now, with the help of 21st century
technology, the once mighty army with its life size
The Army of Terracotta Cave!
Most people would be shocked and disgusted to see a head
suddenly poppin out of the earth of their private garden and
giving them a stare, but in the case of one Chinese farmer, this was
the beginning of a huge discovery for all of humanity.
The cave of the terracotta soldiers - which was designated a
UNESCO world heritage site - is a subterranean cave containing no
less than 7,000 clay , life-sized statues of soldiers, meant to serve
the first emperor of China in the afterlife.
The cave of the terracotta soldiers, located about half an
hour's drive from the city of Xi'an, was discovered completely by
accident as a local famer was digging into his land with the goal of
building a well, found, to his amazement, a life-sized head made of
terracotta (a type of clay) buried in it. It took him 10 years to
report his finding, which began a frenzy of digging in the area that
took 70,000 workers 36 years to complete. During that time,
thousands of clay soldiers were discovered, completing a
complete, hand-made army.
After studying the cave and clay soldiers for many years,
researchers found that the cave was created by Ching shaw huang di,
the first emperor of Xi'an, as a bid for immortality.
The emperor, who started his reign in 246 BC when he was but
The emperor, who started his reign in 246 BC when he was but
13 years old, developed the kingdom and set a unified language and
writing style. Some, however, maintain that he was a hated tyrant.
After many assasination attempts, the emperor developed a
fear of death and wanted to ensure that even after his death,
he'd have enough soldiers to protect him from his enemies. This
will led the emperor to spend 11 years building an entire underground
city, within stand thousands of clay statues of soldiers and
servants who await his command.
The cave is spread over an area of 16,300 square meters and
split into three main areas. It contains over 7000 statues of
warriors, with each of the statues having a defined role.
You'll find bowmen, commanders, cavalrymen and your
average foot soldiers, with each the appropriate garments and
weapons. In addition to the soldiers, the emperor enriched his
post-death world with dancers, singers, acrobats and many
others that will amuse and serve him after death.
If that's not enough to impress you, how about the fact that
each and every one of the statues has a unique face, with no 2
alike in the whole army. Each has a different face, expression, hair style
and other items that separate them from the others.
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