The Terracotta Warriors introduction
The Terracotta Warriors (or Terracotta Army)
is a great Chinese attraction listed by UNESCO
as World Cultural Heritage (they entered the list
in 1987). The Terracotta Army is made up by over
8,000 life size terracotta figures of warriors
and horses.
Where and when the Terracotta Warriors and horses
were found
This amazing terracotta army was discovered in
1974 in Xi’an, in the Shaanxi province,
China, by farmers drilling a well to the east
of Mount Lishan.
The Terracotta Warriors and Horses are part of
a necropolis dedicate to the first emperor of
Qin, Qin Shi Huangdi. The Terracotta Army was
buried with Qin Shi Huangdi, in 210 BC, in order
to guard the remnants of the emperor and all the
treasures that were buried with him in the necropolis.
The necropolis itself reproduces an imperial compound
or palace with offices, halls and other structures
surrounded by a wall.
History and construction of the Terracotta Army,
China
The construction of the Terracotta Warriors and
Horses presumably began around 246 BC and it took
about 40 years and hundreds of thousands of workers
to build.
The figures were made by government labourers
and by local craftsmen and they were made using
the same material and techniques used for drainage
pipes. The figures, which are life-like and life-sized,
were built assembling separate parts together
after the terracotta had been fired. Originally,
the terracotta figures were painted, but most
of the paint faded with time.
Appearance of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses
The terracotta Army is life-like and life-sized
and very realistic. The figures are about 1.8
metres high and they are very detailed; every
trait of the warriors’ features and hairstyle
is perfectly reproduced and so are the details
of the horses.
The army is disposed according to the soldiers’
ranks, just like a real army. There are tunic
infantryman, wearing a knee-length tunic, short
trousers, puttees and curved shoes and who would
be carrying crossbows in their hands. The higher
rank is represented by armoured soldiers, who
were heavily armoured and wearing a brown cape,
a red cap and green shin guards; they would carry
a sword.
The Terracotta Army Museum
The Chinese authorities had a museum built on
site, in 1975, where the Terracotta Army can be
seen today and since then the warriors have become
a world tourist attraction. The museum occupies
an area of about 16,000 square metres and is divided
into three pits: Pit n.1, Pit n. 2 and Pit. N.
3. The numbers reflect the order in which the
pits were excavated and opened to the public.
Pit n. 1 contains over 6,000 terracotta figures
(warriors and horses); Pit n. 2 contains 1,000
warriors, 500 horses and 89 chariots; Pit n. 3
contains 68 warriors, four horses and one chariot.
