China Central Television reported that Chinese experts have codified more details about how the world-famous Terracotta Army was created.

Archaeologists from the Terracotta Warriors Restoration Team of the National Cultural Heritage Administration said that ancient artisans used a method of rolling, stacking and attaching clay rolls to create the lifelike Terracotta Army.

“The artisans made the main body parts including the feet and legs first. The head and arms were then made separately,” said Shen Maosheng, one of the scholars on the excavation team of Pit No. 1 at the mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang.

The archaeologists noted that a second layer of extremely fine clay would be applied after the main body of the statue had air-dried.

The artisans would then carve out the details of the warrior’s armor and clothing from this second layer.

“Once the main body is ready, the artisans will attach the arms and head to it. We can see that the body and facial expressions are very lifelike,” Shen noted.

These details give the terracotta warrior a lifelike aura, demonstrating the realism of ancient Chinese art,” said Li Yi, an artist specializing in ancient art in Shanghai.

Pit No. 1 is the largest burial pit inside the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, China’s first emperor.

The pit is 230 meters long and 62 meters wide, covering a total area of ​​14,260 square meters.

Three excavations have been carried out in the pit. The third excavation was carried out from 2009 to 2022 on an area of ​​about 430 square meters.

More than 220 terracotta figures, 16 terracotta horses, 4 chariots and other relics such as weapons and production tools were discovered during the excavation.

Experts further noted that based on the excavations to date, a total of more than 6,000 ceramic figures and ceramic horses are expected to be found in the future.

According to archaeological findings, experts said that not long after the burial pits were completed during the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), most of Pit No. 1 was looted and burned. The nearby Pit No. 3 was also looted.

Experts note that, based on historical records, the pits were looted and destroyed by Xiang Yu, a nobleman from the Chu state who rebelled at the end of the Qin Dynasty.

Repairing the broken terracotta warriors is a major challenge for archaeologists.

Lan Desheng, a restorer at the museum who has spent 26 years restoring the terracotta warriors, said the team has restored more than 130 warriors so far.

It usually takes two years to piece together the fragments of the ceramic statues. Restoration is difficult work that requires expertise, patience and a bit of luck.

“Sometimes we need a missing part and it takes three or even four years to find that part in the pit, then we can start the restoration process,” Lan said.