With this special arrangement, the terracotta army in the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang can take on different tasks when fighting.
Accordingly, during the third excavation at pit No. 1 in the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang in Xi’an city (China), archaeologists have just made a new discovery about the arrangement of the terracotta army.
In the past, the arrangement of the troops in pit No. 1 was believed to be symmetrical along the north-south axis, concentrated in the sixth tunnel.
Mr. Shen Maosheng, a researcher at the Museum of the Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, said: “This time, we have some breakthrough discoveries. In the third excavation of an area of more than 400 square meters, we found that the terracotta soldiers in front of tunnel No. 8 were equipped with long weapons, while the soldiers in the back were using bows and arrows. The same is true for tunnel No. 9. All the soldiers in tunnel No. 10 were holding long weapons.”
Researchers found that the terracotta army was arranged according to different hairstyles, costumes and weapons
The expert also added that most of the terracotta warriors in tunnel 11 used bows and arrows. Some warriors were equipped with long weapons and were all commanders.
In particular, the research team also discovered a part of the arrangement model of the army in pit 1. For example, in front were lined up terracotta warriors wearing armor, which experts called the vanguard. On both sides of the vanguard were terracotta warriors wearing scarves. All the terracotta warriors in the middle row had buns. Behind them were statues of soldiers with flat buns. The strange thing is that the warriors with different hairstyles stood in different positions and they may have been in charge of separate tasks during combat.
Through this arrangement, researchers can have a more intuitive and specific understanding of the army.
“We want to publish the research as soon as possible so that more people can learn about the army,” said Shen Maosheng.
The Terracotta Army: A Shocking Discovery of the 20th Century
In 1974, farmers near Xi’an, Shaanxi Province (northwest China) made an extraordinary discovery. Thanks to that, the Terracotta Army, part of the vast mausoleum complex for Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China, was excavated. Researchers found the terracotta warriors at the foot of Mount Lishan.
The Terracotta Warriors in the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang were first discovered in 1974
The Terracotta Army, consisting of more than 8,000 warriors, was buried in pits far from the center of the mausoleum. When they were first discovered and excavated, the warrior statues still retained their painted faces and costumes. According to experts, not only the posture and costumes, but also the faces of the statues are so lifelike that they look like living people.
Experts are amazed that the Terracotta Warriors have lifelike faces
The mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang is located in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province. According to historian Sima Qian, the mausoleum was built by hundreds of thousands of people, took nearly 40 years and was completed around 208 BC. With an area 70 times larger than the Forbidden City, it is considered the largest private tomb in the world. The underground structures are still almost intact.
After examining the entire area and finding no holes indicating that tomb robbers had broken in, some archaeologists believe that the central tomb containing the remains of Emperor Qin Shi Huang has remained undisturbed for thousands of years.
The central area of the mausoleum, where the remains of Emperor Qin Shi Huang are located, remains a great mystery that has yet to be discovered
The discovery of the Terracotta Army is still considered one of the greatest discoveries at the mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. To this day, archaeologists and scientists are still working hard to research the Terracotta Army as well as the secrets hidden inside the mausoleum of the first emperor in Chinese history.
