Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an

Terracotta Warriors
Up Close Shot of the Terracotta Warriors
Photo by: jeremybarwick, Creative Commons

The Terracotta Warriors and Horses were erected next to Qin Shi Huang’s burial site. Qin was the first emperor in China. It is a said in folklore that these warriors are real soldiers which were buried with him so that they could guard him in his afterlife.

The Terracotta civilization dates back to 210 BC but the site was discovered by farmers in 1974. The average height of this army ranges from 6 to 6.5 feet and they are standing in proper order of their roles. The soldier sculptures appear ready to go to the war and are all fully dressed with their weapons in hand. The generals are in the front, being the tallest, followed by acrobats, bowman and infantry soldiers. This site is breathtaking and is considered one of the wonders of the world. In total, there are over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots, 520 horses, and 150 cavalry horses. Much of the sculptures are still buried in the ground.

It is said that the statues were constructed by local craftsman. In total, eight different kinds of moulds were used to create the face. Clay was added to the mould to give a proper structure and facial expression. All of them vary in their height and hairstyle, depending on their rank. There are a total of four pits that are seven meters deep. The fist pit is 230 meters long and has 8,000 figures. The ceiling is water proof and made of reed mats and wood.

17 responses to “Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an”

  1. niloofar says:

    it is so intresting

  2. I’ve gone through your blog. Good thing I came back once more. Nice work

  3. Traveller says:

    Wow, I had heard of them but still never seen them yet, Im travelling the world next year and must remember to get a look at these bad boys!

  4. Tanika says:

    where did the empire die? When did he die? How old was he when he died? How did he die? How many enemies did he make? Why did he make all of the 8000 solders faces diferent?

  5. Mitch says:

    terracotta is a kind of pottery material, not a Chinese word. And just for clarification, shi huangdi was the first emperor that conqured all of china

  6. sexyboi says:

    but they named the warriors after the clay only because the warriors in the trenches are made from clay and rock and cement and dirt.

    love ya all,
    sexyboi

  7. zoe says:

    im doing a report on the terracotta warriors and i need some help finding detailed information could anyone suggest some info?
    Thanks,
    zoe

  8. bob says:

    that is really cool

  9. i love bob says:

    i love coulpe of clay warriors

  10. Banana Man says:

    Very nice facts

  11. yolo girl says:

    wow its good but needs more facts no offense but its still awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  12. npalm335 says:

    this website is great it needs more information and images

  13. Hi Amigis says:

    Hi their awesome

  14. horses01259 says:

    this is interesting. wish there were more details. I would like to have more facts. suggestions? am doing a report

  15. sallzack says:

    interesting….so, im coming on April 2014

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