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.