All About The Terracotta Warriors
International College hong Kong (Hong Lok Yuen), Sin, Charlie – 10
The Terracotta Warriors
The Terracotta Warriors are clay statues that were buried along with Emperor Qin, the first emperor of China, in a gigantic
tomb. The clay statues were lifesize, each as tall as two metres and weighing 300 kilograms. They all had different ranks,
facial features and hair styles and no two were the same. Some of them look calm, some look angry and some look ready to
fight. They all wear different clothing and armour. They are a very important piece of archaeological discovery and can lead
to a lot of interesting discoveries.
Weapons
The Terracotta Warriors held real weapons made of bronze in their hands. Some had crossbows, daggers, maces, spears, and
even swords. They were coated in a special material called chromium so they were in perfect condition when they were
found. That thin layer of chromium protected them for thousands of years! The weapons had a kind of protection activate
switch. If the tomb was robbed, the weapons would be set on fire! Isn’t that cool?
Accessories
The terracotta statues all had different accessories. The warriors and soldiers had weapons made out of bronze. It was coated
with chromium to protect them for eternity. They are real weapons that we still use during the modern times. The horses
had saddles. This makes archaeologists think that saddles were invented already during the Qin dynasty. How many modern
accessories were already invented during that time?
Other Beings
Inside the tombs, there were a lot of other beings, not just terracotta warriors. There were villagers, entertainers, musicians,
acrobats and a lot more different kinds of people Emperor Qin might have wanted to accompany him in the afterlife. There
were also 150 lifesized cavalry horses, 130 chariots used for war and 520 horses all in one part of the tomb! The
archaeologists also found government officials in other part of the tomb. Maybe the emperor wanted to have people serve
him in the afterlife and continue his life being a powerful king.
Time Taken
Archaeologists have been studying these warriors closely to try and find out about how these workers during 421 B.C made
these warriors. They still don’t know. Only two people are close to knowing. Their names are Han Ping Zhe and Zhang
Bin Ruo. They are both terracotta warrior replica making factory managers and they make replicas of terracotta warriors,
just for a living. Their factory produces thousands and thousands of terracotta each year. Even though they can make them
really fast, they still don’t make it the way workers made them thousands of years ago. They have tried to make terracotta
warriors like they did in the olden times, but it took them a month just to make one. How did the ancient workers make
8,000 warriors in 39 years? That question still remains unknown though we are getting closer to finding out by the minute.
Archaeologists estimate 700,000 workers had to work on this for 39 years!
Tombs
Underground, there is more than just one chamber. Four main pits 21 feet deep held the terracotta warriors. Xi’an was the
core of the tomb with all the terracotta warriors but there are still a lot more chambers that contain the other beings that
Emperor Qin wanted in the afterlife. Altogether, archaeologists estimate there are about six tombs underground, containing
all of the terracotta statues. These tombs are famous for their rows and rows of soldiers. One tomb is full of unconstructed
soldiers, and people think that this is because they couldn’t finish it before the death of Emperor Qin. Even though those
six tombs contain terracotta statues, Emperor Qin’s spectacular tomb pyramid, Mount Li, still remains uncovered one mile
away from the terracotta warriors. It is said that Mount Li contains thousands of jewels, rivers of mercury, miniature palaces
and cities and manmade seas. The archaeologists have still sealed Mount Li away because once exposed to air, the paint and
all the other things inside will fall apart. So until they can find a way to keep the artifacts safe, the tomb will not be open.
