Terra Cotta Warriors

13 photos

On our second day in Xian, we visited the excavation site of the tomb of Qin Shi Huang the First Emperor of China, site of the terra cotta warriors.

Pit 1 contains approximately 6000 warriors, each with individual facial features, as well as various horses and charioteers. The roofs, chariots, weapons, etc. were wood, and were pillaged or burned in the intervening years.
Pit 3 is thought to have been the command post, including high ranking administrators and official chariots with passengers.
Pit 2 is thought to have been the military guard, including more infantry, cavalry, and war chariots.
Additional pits, not open to the public, have been found, containing court performers (acrobats, etc.) and livestock.
The scope of the site is mind boggling. It is believed that the tomb was worked on for about 35 years, involving as many as 700,000 workers, with the intent to provide Qin Shi Huang with a power base for establishing his empire in the afterlife.