(this is the new post I wrote for OA) (I thought it was good) =)
And yes, that's a picture of them on the side...
One of my favorite stories, and a true one at that, is of “The Terra Cotta Warriors”.
It all began with the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. After ascending the throne at the young age of 13, he later set to work for eleven years on the development and make of the Terra Cotta Warriors. Each warrior was made to be life size, including accurate facial expressions with hand sculpted ears, noses, eyes and mouths. They were made to be fearsome with their armor on and war horses standing behind them. Qin had these warriors built in his mausoleum and was buried with them in 209BC. There were approximately 8,099 warriors made by some 47 sculptors. He believed that these warriors would protect him in the afterlife, as though there would be a war to be fought.
The discovery was first made in 1974 near Xi’an, Shaanxi province, China, by local farmers digging a well. It was reported that large pottery fragments were found 1.5 kilometers east of Emperor Qin’s Mausoleum. These finds subsequently led to the ultimate discovery of the warriors. It was then revealed that three underground pits totaled a cover area of 22,000 square meters, housing the pottery warriors and horses.
Pit one is the largest pit of the three. It is a fair sized rectangle shape where the main force of the army can be found. It ranges 230 meters east to west and 62 meters north to south and 5 meters in depth. The total area coverage is 14260 square meters.
Twenty meters north, pit two can be found. It was specially used as support for the main force, with charioteers, archers, cavalrymen and infantrymen; it is a complex battle formation.
Pit three is located 25 meters to the north of pit one and to the west of pit two, and is evidently the headquarters.
Five sloping roadways into the pits were constructed on eastern and western sides of pits to permit access. At the eastern end of the pit there are three rows of vanguards, 68 in each, totaling 204 soldiers who were originally equipped with genuine bows and crossbows. Immediately behind the vanguards is the main body of the battle formation: 30 chariots, each of which was drawn by four horses, armored and unarmored soldiers held weapons originally, such as spears, halberds etc. Around the outer edge, there is one row of soldiers with crossbows facing south, north and west respectively as the flanks to guard the sides and rear of the army.
The total three pits are located to the east of Emperor’s Mausoleum, determining that the army was facing east, with its back to the tomb, serving as guardians to protect the entrance of the Emperor’s burial.
|
