Terracotta Army
The army documents military organisation, craft specialisation and imperial burial rituals around the first unification of China. The individually modelled faces and equipment make it an exceptional source for the Qin period.
Photo: xiquinhosilva · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Facts
- Place
- Xi’an, China
- Civilisation / patron
- Qin dynasty
- Built
- c. 246 BCE – 208 BCE
- Status
- Ruins
- UNESCO World Heritage since
- 1987
- UNESCO World Heritage
History
Thousands of life-sized terracotta soldiers and horses were arrayed near the mausoleum of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang. The figures stood in underground pits and were originally painted and equipped with real weapons. The complex was intended to protect the emperor after death and was created through large-scale, highly organised production. After damage and collapse, the pits were buried; the figures have been excavated and conserved since their discovery in 1974.
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Sources: Wikipedia — Terracottaleger