Ancient Chinese Technology and Art:
Terra Cotta Army
• National Council for Social Studies National Conference in Kansas City
• November 19,2005
The Terra Cotta Armyof
Emperor Qin Shi-HuangdiFounder of the Qin dynasty
221-206 BCE.
X’ian, China
Most students know about 2 things from China. The Great Wall and the
Terra Cotta Army. They are fascinated by both because of the
scale of each. X’ian , where the army is located , means western capital. It was the starting point for the Silk Roads.
Pit Number One
In 1974, several farmers digging a well found the Terra Cotta Army in
their field. They called in local authorities to examine the pieces they had uncovered. As they dug into this field , the archaeologists uncovered the army.They found 3 pits , each with different soldiers in
them.
This is the well which 3 farmers were digging when they found the army in 1974
The farmers who found the site in 1974, were paid about $500
for their land by the government. Today ,they work signing autographs for tourists
who visit it and are paid a salary by the Chinese government.
There are 3 large pits at this site. Pit 1 covers an area of 16,000 square meters . It is covered in a huge dome.Pit 2 covers an area of 7,100 square meters and includes bronze chariots.Pit 3 covers an area of 4,282 square meters and is the least excavated.
Horses in Pit 2
Ramps to get the soldiers in.
A group of ceremonial guards
How long would it have taken to create over 7,000 separate soldiers
out of clay ?What fuel would have been needed
to fire these clay figures to make them into terra cotta ?
Pit # 1 contains over 6,ooo soldiers
Putting the army back together
The army being reassembled
Tera cotta is a hard semifired waterproof ceramic clay. When the warriors were first found, they were
brightly painted. Since that time, the paint has been slowly
disappearing. Archaeologists do not understand exactly what is
causing the damage.
The bundles are missing pieces
When archaeologists work at putting the soldiers back together, they find
potential pieces and create a bundle of them for each one. Then the workers searches for the location of a specific
piece. If they find ONE PIECE in a day, they are very happy. Putting this
gigantic puzzle back together will be the life’s work of many archaeologists.
Individual Faces
Every soldier has a unique face so the potters making them were
probably modeling each one after a specific person. What can we learn 2200 years later about China at this
time from these figures?
An enlisted man
An offficer and his horse
Clothing and hairstyles show us the class differences which existed in
this army. An officer has a topknot
An archer without his bow
Seeing the army
Moustaches
• Archaeologists have found 24 different types of moustaches on the soldiers faces. They show the range of social classes which the army came from. Individual differences could indicate social status or simply personal preference.
Another view
Archaeologists believe that each figure would have been
fired at approximately 100 C in a kiln for a week. The figures
were broken when wooden roof beams collapsed on top of them
after a fire in antiquity.
Officers in the front in battle formation
This is how the army was found. It had been broken into many small pieces.
Another view
Cavalry troops
Hairstyles show these were regular army
Armies under repair
Since few weapons of any kind were found with the soldiers, it
is probable that they were stolen in the past so they could
be used.
A Ming era tomb on top of warriors
Headless soldiers
Pit Number Three
The canvas covered areas are protecting soldiers from whatever environmental
damage is degrading their paint.
Continuing work here
A cavalry officer with his horse
A huge army being reassembled.
The Terra Cotta Army was created in the neighboring
mountains. Chinese archaeologists have found the kilns used to bake the statues.
For the army, individual soldiers can be used to identify the area they came from through clothing
design.
What does this army tell us about how much political and
military control the emperor had in his kingdom ?
Bronze Chariot with umbrella
Since bronze was expensive, the horses and chariot are smaller than life size. This chariot was recently
shown in the movie “ Hero” . It brought the main character to a
visit with Qin Shi Huangdi.
Horses Bridle
Silver and gold bridle
In 1987, the Terra Cotta Army was placed on the list of World
Heritage Sites by UNESCO. The site has been visited by
approximately 40 million people in 20 years. It welcomes 1,500,000 visitors a year.
Chinese archaeologists know the location of Shi Huangdi’s tomb. They are waiting to open it, in
hopes that future technology will allow more information to be
discovered once it is opened.It also is supposed to have MANY unpleasant surprises inside.
