Terra Cotta Warriors

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Seeing these completed the bucket list of things we wanted to see in China. The warriors were discovered by a farmer digging a well in 1974. The warriors are spread out over 22 square miles as a funerary display protecting the tomb of China’s first Emperor, Qin Shi Huang. It took 40 years and 780,000 workers to build this complex. So far 2000 warriors have been discovered. The emperors tomb has been located but not uncovered. The warriors were built in 200BC.

Pit number 1. There are 4 pits available for the public to see. They are covered and climate controlled to protect the warriors. There are 400 pits in various stages of excavation.
A lot of the warriors were found broken and in pieces. They had to be put back together like a giant jig saw puzzle.
They were all originally painted to look very realistic. After 2300 years of being covered in dirt and exposed to the elements most have lost all their color. The one seen here with clear plastic covering the head is an effort to protect the original paint that remains on a few of the warriors.
This is an archer. The warriors probably held weapons that were eventually taken by grave robbers.
And of course they need a general to lead the men. The general was the tallest of all the warriors, a symbol of strength and leadership.
Along with archers there were horsemen and infantry formations. Each warrior is unique, no two are alike. The heads were made separately and small details were different in each head. They were approximately 6 feet tall, much taller than the Chinese men in those days.
We did the tourist thing and had a photo taken with the warriors!
One more tourist stop!! I think I was meant to be a warrior in a previous life🤣
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Published by rodandpatty

Rod and Patty Jenkins are retired and enjoy traveling. We hope you enjoy our posts as we we see different locations around the globe.

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