written October 8, 2009 in Xi'an, China (day 8 of the trip)...
Once upon a time, there lived a Chinese Emperor named, Qin Shi Huang. He was the first Emperor of unified China and lived near a city called, Xi’an, in the Shaanxi Province. Xi’an was China’s first capital long before Beijing, and Emperor Qin was its ruler from 221 BC until his death in 210 BC. A powerful and aggressive ruler, Qin played a pivotal role in unifying the states of China and changing its political and economic background. As if that wasn’t enough for one ruler, he also made plans for a massive national road system, had his hand in the initial creations of the Great Wall, and created a mausoleum like no other in the world. All of these undertakings, however, came at the expense of many lives.
A century after Emperor Qin’s death, a historian by the name of Sima Qian wrote a famous piece called, “Shiji.” In his masterpiece, he wrote of Qin’s mausoleum and described it as a small city with palaces, towers, officials, utensils, and “wonderful objects.” Until recently, people were unsure such a place even existed and wondered whether the historian’s writings were based on fact or fiction.
On an ordinary day in 1974, farmers were drilling a water-well just outside the suburbs of Xi’an, near Lishan Mountain, when they hit something strange. The accident turned into one of the greatest archeological discoveries of the 20th century. In addition to an entire necropolis for the Emperor, an army of soldiers made from terracotta clay found in the nearby mountain was unearthed. Of the four pits that have been excavated, researchers have found over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses, and 150 cavalry horses. Commanding over 700,000 workers, the creation of each individual figure is astonishing. The life-like and life-size figures vary in height, shape, and dress according to their official rank. Each soldier bears it’s own facial features so no two are alike.
Pit one is the largest at 230 meters long (754 feet) and contains the main army of around 8,000 figures. Its eleven corridors are paved with brick and were covered in a wooden ceiling. The layout, common for tombs of noblemen, resembles the interior of a palace. A smaller pit two houses the cavalry and infantry units, as well as, war chariots; while pit three is the command post with high ranking officers and a war chariot. Pit four remains empty and unfinished.
With a controlling hand ruling over everything during his lifetime, it comes as little surprise that Emperor Qin would want to be prepared in the afterlife with a complete and ferocious army for protection. Perhaps with the much-needed attention and preservation from archeologists, Qin will now find his army to be more energetic on the other side.
The End
Pit 1, the largest and most impressive area
These soldiers are in need of a little TLC...
1 comments:
That was a very nice bed time story.
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