Friday, May 13, 2011

The Terracotta Army of China's First Emperor

The Terracotta Army is a collection of life-size terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang (sometimes, QinShihuang), the first Emperor of China.  Dated to 210 BCE, the mausoleum housing the Terracotta Army, construction of which began when Huang was thirteen years of age, was discovered in 1974 by local farmers who were digging a well about 1.5 miles east of Mount Li. The mausoleum itself is associated with an especially significant historic world event, the first unification of the Chinese territory by an absolute monarch in 221 BCE–formally establishing “China.”  Read more.