emperor shihuangdi and qin unification
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Emperor Shihuangdi and Qin Unification
&The Tomb of Terracotta Warriors,
Xi’anBy Brianna Kutz
Qin Unification (Qin Dynasty)
221 BCE: success of Qin armies marked the unification of 6 states under one central regime
Goals of organized state: political, economic, social, and military
Capital: Xianyang Divided into 36
commanderies Trios appointed to each:
civil governor, military commander, and inspector
Qin Unification (continued)
The court controlled the trio officals placing strict limits on their power
206 BCE: fall of Qin Dynasty
The First Emperor
Emperor Shihuangdi (“emperor” huang and di)
246 BCE: became King of Qin
238 BCE: was a minor and achieved effective power
Standardized script and issued weights and measures so that all markets operated with a common set of standards
The First Emperor (continued)
Han writers denounce the First Emperor and his ministers for their harsh policies and immoral acts
Seen as villian Ordered the destruction
of defensive “long walls” and city walls. He kept an army in the field along the northern frontier and used it and other laborers to construct large-scale public works (The Great Wall)
The Tomb of the First Emperor
Called Lishan and located in Xi’an
210 BCE: death of emperor
221 BCE: most active phase of construction directed by his chancellors, Lu Buwei and Li Si
Unknown exactly when army was created but possibly throughout the most active phase
The Terracotta Warriors
Terracotta: “baked earth”; clay-based unglazed ceramic
1974 BE: Farmers discovered when digging a well
750 ft long by 200 ft wide
Separated in 11 corridors
The Terracotta Warriors (continued)
3 trenches Trench 1: 9 main corridors with life-size warriors,
four abreast, facing east; 2 narrow side corridors have files of 2 warriors each, the outside file facing away from the main body of the army Large open area at the east end was accessible
by 5 ramps 200+ warriors in 3 long ranks
Trench 2: east end and was mainly filled with cavalry and archers
Trench 3: west end and was kind of a headquarters Total number of warriors in all 3 trenches is
estimated 7,000+ figures
The Terracotta Warriors (continued)
3
1
2
The Terracotta Warriors (continued)
All warriors, except kneeling archers, stand on small clay bases
Each figure ways hundreds of pounds each Varying poses Seem to have come from the same population yet
exhibit many variations
The Terracotta Warriors (continued)
No text that hinted at project
Each figure was finished by hand
Divided process into many steps, combining molds and free-hand work
Teams of workers
Reference
Thorp, R.L. & Vinograd, R.E. (2001) Chinese art and culture, 27-53, New York, NY: Harry N. Abrams, Inc.