In China's archaeological history, 1974 is a year to remember, because in that year, a discovery that shocked the world changed our understanding of history - the advent of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses of the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang.
Known as the "Eighth Wonder of the World", these lifelike terracotta figurines have been studied since their discovery.
The Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, located in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, is one of the most spectacular imperial tombs in ancient China. Not only is it large-scale, but also structurally complex, including four burial pits, and it is known that archaeologists have excavated pits 1 to 3 and unearthed more than 8,000 terracotta figurines of soldiers.
In March 1974, the villagers of Lishan Town, Lintong County, were 1 distance from LingdongWhile digging a well 5 kilometers away, I accidentally found a fragment of terracotta figurines. After the investigation of the archaeological team, these fragments were confirmed to belong to the Terracotta Warriors and Horses of the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang.
The terracotta figurines of the No. 1 pit are neatly arranged, holding **, like soldiers preparing for battle. The terracotta figurines in Pit No. 2 are even larger, with a total area of more than 6,000 square meters, and more than 1,300 terracotta figurines have been unearthed, including general figurines, saddle horse figurines and kneeling figurines. Pit No. 3 is relatively small, with a horse chariot and 68 terracotta figurines unearthed, possibly the command post of the army.
Pit No. 4 has not yet been fully excavated and is speculated to have been unbuilt due to a peasant uprising at the end of the Qin Dynasty.
The discovery of the terracotta warriors and horses has given rise to numerous mysteries, the most notable of which is whether they were fired by real people. This issue has sparked a wide debate in the field of history. On the one hand, the Qin Dynasty had a popular system of "human martyrdom", and on the other hand, the technical level of making such realistic terracotta figurines seemed difficult to achieve at that time.
In the movie "Ancient and Modern Wars of the Qin Warriors", the plot of the protagonist dedicating himself to becoming a terracotta warrior made many people believe that the terracotta warriors and horses may have been fired by living people. However, according to the History of Qin, the Qin state had abolished the system of human martyrdom. If all of them are fired by living people, not only will it cause dissatisfaction among people, but the painful expressions of living people during the burning process will not match the expressions of the terracotta warriors.
It wasn't until a terracotta cracked open that the truth was revealed. The restoration workers found no human bones or other human material inside the cracked terracotta warriors, proving that the terracotta warriors were not fired by living people.
So, how are terracotta warriors made? According to the Historical Records, the construction of the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang took 39 years, and the terracotta warriors and horses, as a part of it, probably took decades to complete. The process involves multiple steps such as making the clay tire, sculpting the details, assembling and coloring, each of which requires meticulous work by craftsmen.
The craftsmanship of the terracotta warriors and horses reflects the high skill and life insight of ancient craftsmen. Through their observations of the actual combat clothing of the Qin army, they created a variety of different costumes and accessories to bring the terracotta warriors and horses to life.
However, soon after the terracotta warriors were unearthed, the paintings fell off due to oxidation, and the color became dull. In order to protect these precious cultural relics, archaeologists have adopted a variety of protection measures, such as water mist spraying, plastic film covering, sealing the microenvironment, and increasing humidity, to slow down further damage to the terracotta warriors.
With the advancement of science and technology, the restoration of the terracotta warriors and horses has also made significant progress. Restorers use modern scientific and technological means, such as X-ray flaw detection, ultrasonic testing, three-dimensional image acquisition, etc., to scientifically restore terracotta figurines. Each figurine is considered unique, and the restorers work like a patient in a hospital, striving to restore each figurine to its original appearance.
The discovery of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses of the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang is not only an archaeological breakthrough, but also a new understanding of the profound heritage of Chinese culture. The stories behind these terracotta figurines give us a glimpse into the life and spirit of ancient craftsmen, whose creativity and skill level are admirable.
In conclusion, the discovery of the terracotta warriors and horses is an important milestone in the history of Chinese archaeology. These thousand-year-old terracotta figurines not only show the momentum of the Qin Dynasty army, but also the crystallization of the wisdom and skills of ancient craftsmen. As the restoration work continues, we have reason to believe that more secrets about the Terracotta Warriors will be revealed in the future, allowing us to understand this long history more comprehensively.