Photo: Kevin McGill
A view of the Terracotta Army in the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China. In normal times, several million people visit the Xi’an, Shaanxi province, site each year.
I save links about interesting happenings to share later on the blog, but when coronavirus hit, some of the happenings in my pipeline seemed out of date. Archaeological finds are different. Anytime’s a good time to read about the excavation of terracotta warriors in China.
As you may know, the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor in China is a designated Unesco World Heritage site. The online Unesco description says (with prescience), “No doubt thousands of statues still remain to be unearthed at this archaeological site, which was not discovered until 1974. Qin (d. 210 B.C.), the first unifier of China, is buried, surrounded by the famous terracotta warriors, at the centre of a complex designed to mirror the urban plan of the capital, Xianyan. The small figures are all different; with their horses, chariots and weapons, they are masterpieces of realism and also of great historical interest.”
In January this year, Taylor Dafoe reported at Artnet that more statues had indeed been discovered. “The Terracotta Army,” he writes, “just got a little more formidable.
“More than 200 additional funerary sculptures have been uncovered near the tomb of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, in Xi’an, the capital of China’s Shaanxi Province. The relics join the 8,000 already unearthed soldiers that constitute the Terracotta Army, created 2,200 years ago to protect the emperor in the afterlife.
“The discovery, first announced by the country’s state-run news agency, came during a decade-long excavation of the first of four pits at the mausoleum. … Archaeologists uncovered roughly 200 new warriors, 12 clay horses, and two chariots, as well as a number of bronze weapons, over the past 10 years.
“According to Shen Maosheng, the archeologist who led the dig, the new findings provide researchers with a clearer picture of how the ancient Chinese military operated. For instance, Maosheng notes that most of the newly uncovered figures are depicted either holding poles or bows — a clue that reveals the soldiers’ battlefield roles and responsibilities.
One of the world’s most treasured historical artifacts, the army was first discovered by a group of local farmers trying to dig a well roughly a mile east of Emperor Qin’s tomb in 1974. They stumbled upon a vault that held thousands of human-sized military figures, each unique in appearance, all lined up in battle formation. …
“Researchers believe it took 700,000 laborers as much as 30 to 40 years to complete the army and its tombs, and that there are still likely more vaults and warriors to be discovered.” More.
Have any readers visited the mausoleum? I was in China once, when my husband was working there, but for the 10-day visit, I stayed in Shanghai and environs. Xi’an would have been too far, and besides it was Spring Festival (or Lunar New Year) at the time, and the whole country was on the road. If you have seen the terracotta warriors, I would love to know your personal reactions.
Suzanne's Mom's Blog 
Those are amazing. I can’t even imagine finding something like this.
I guess that once the first ones were found, people knew that others would be found. But imagine the excitement of those farmers who set out to dig a well in the 1970s!
Amazing! I’ve always been fascinated with these!
I love how they reveal so much about the history of that time. Like what kinds of weapons were used by soldiers.
Oh yes, and the clothing. The details are remarkable.
I saw a recreation of these at Disney and have since been captivated by them.
Would like to see that.
This site is an incredibly important discovery archeologically speaking, but the development of the tourism aspect of the area that has been created over the last decade is also truly immense. Huge areas of commercial buildings, parkland, and new highways cutting through farmland and farmers’ homes have crept into what used to be serene mountainside pastoral areas. My wife grew up only a few kilometres away from the warriors and the Emperor’s burial tumulus in a small (relatively small in Chinese terms) 700,000 person town of Lintong. This town’s growth based on the area’s tourism is apparent: the burial tumulus is currently undergoing large-scale redevelopment of the grounds which surround it, and the nearby Huaqingchi hot springs complex at the foot of Mount Li has expanded in the last decade as well. This is to say the Chinese have always done things on a scale well beyond what the West considers possible. The warriors themselves are a marvel to behold and are a reminder that this area is rich in history, so much that a mere weekend pass through to see the warriors is by far not enough time to see it all. Cheers!
Thank you so much for sharing your firsthand knowledge. Very interesting!