View source for Terracotta Army

{{short description|Collection of ancient Chinese military statues}}
{{For|the historic complex|Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang}}
{{pp|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}}
{{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
| WHS         = Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor
| Image       = 51714-Terracota-Army.jpg
| Location    = [[Lintong District]], Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| image_upright = 1.3
| Criteria    = Cultural: i, iii, iv, vi
| ID          = 441
| Year        = 1987
| Website     = {{URL|https://www.bmy.com.cn|bmy.com.cn}}
| locmapin    = China
| coordinates = {{Coord|34|23|06|N|109|16|23|E|type:landmark_region:CN|display=inline,title}}
}}
{{Infobox Chinese
| title = Terracotta Army
| s = 兵马俑
| t = {{linktext|兵馬俑}}
| l = Soldier and horse tomb-figurines<!---That IS what "俑" literally means, believe it or not.--->
| showflag = stp
| p = Bīngmǎ yǒng
| w = Ping<sup>1</sup>-ma<sup>3</sup> yung<sup>3</sup>
| mi = {{IPAc-cmn|b|ing|1|m|a|3|-|yong|3}}
| j = Bing<sup>1</sup>-maa<sup>5</sup> jung<sup>2</sup>
| y = Bīng-máah yúng
| tl = Ping-bé ióng
| collapse = no
| order = st
}}
The '''Terracotta Army''' is a collection of [[terracotta]] sculptures depicting the armies of [[Qin Shi Huang]], the first [[emperor of China]]. It is a form of [[funerary art]] buried with the emperor in 210–209 BCE with the purpose of protecting him in his afterlife.

The figures, dating from approximately the late 200s BCE,<ref>{{cite journal |title=TL dating of pottery sherds and baked soil from the Xian Terracotta Army Site, Shaanxi Province, China |author=Lu Yanchou |author2=Zhang Jingzhao |author3=Xie Jun |author4=Wang Xueli |journal= International Journal of Radiation Applications and Instrumentation, Part D |volume=14 |issue=1–2 |year=1988 |pages=283–286 |doi=10.1016/1359-0189(88)90077-5}}</ref> were discovered in 1974 by local farmers in [[Lintong District|Lintong County]], outside [[Xi'an]], Shaanxi, China. The figures vary in height according to their rank, the tallest being the generals. The figures include warriors, [[Chariot (Ancient China)|chariots]] and horses. Estimates from 2007 were that the three pits containing the Terracotta Army hold more than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses, and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which remain ''in situ'' in the pits near [[Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang|Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum]].{{sfn|Portal|2007|p=167}} Other, non-military terracotta figures have since been found in other pits, including those of officials, acrobats, strongmen, and musicians.<ref name=":0" />
{{toclimit|3}}

== History ==
[[File:秦始皇帝陵.JPG|thumb|right|The mound where the tomb is located]]
[[File:Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum (Terracotta Army).png|thumb|Plan of the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum and location of the Terracotta Army ([[File:ROCA WO(Early 1929).png|20px]]). The central tomb itself has yet to be excavated.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=WILLIAMS |first1=A. R. |title=Discoveries May Rewrite History of China's Terra-Cotta Warriors |journal=National Geographic |date=12 October 2016 |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/china-first-emperor-terra-cotta-warriors-tomb |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228210204/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/china-first-emperor-terra-cotta-warriors-tomb |archive-date=28 February 2021 |language=en}}</ref>]]
The construction of the tomb was described by the historian [[Sima Qian]] (145{{ndash}}90 BCE) in the ''[[Records of the Grand Historian]]'', the first of China's 24 dynastic histories, which was written a century after the mausoleum's completion. Work on the mausoleum began in 246 BCE, soon after Emperor Qin (then aged 13) succeeded his father as King of [[Qin (state)|Qin]], and Sima said that the project eventually involved 700,000 conscripted workers.<ref name="chinesetext"/><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/chinese-terra-cotta-warriors-had-real-and-very-carefully-made-weapons/2012/11/26/999b9cb4-2840-11e2-b4e0-346287b7e56c_story.html |title=Chinese terra cotta warriors had real, and very carefully made weapons |date=26 November 2012 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=19 October 2016 |archive-date=19 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019150519/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/chinese-terra-cotta-warriors-had-real-and-very-carefully-made-weapons/2012/11/26/999b9cb4-2840-11e2-b4e0-346287b7e56c_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Geographer [[Li Daoyuan]], writing six centuries after the first emperor's death, recorded in ''[[Commentary on the Water Classic|Shui Jing Zhu]]'' that [[Mount Li]] was a favoured location due to its auspicious geology: "famed for its jade mines, its northern side was rich in gold, and its southern side rich in beautiful jade; the first emperor, covetous of its fine reputation, therefore chose to be buried there".{{sfn|Clements|2007|p=158}}<ref>[http://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E6%B0%B4%E7%B6%93%E6%B3%A8/19 Shui Jing Zhu Chapter 19] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017080845/http://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E6%B0%B4%E7%B6%93%E6%B3%A8/19 |date=17 October 2012 }} 《水經注•渭水》'''Original text:''' 秦始皇大興厚葬，營建塚壙於驪戎之山，一名藍田，其陰多金，其陽多美玉，始皇貪其美名，因而葬焉。</ref>

Sima Qian wrote that the first emperor was buried with palaces, towers, officials, valuable artifacts and wondrous objects. According to this famous account, 100 flowing rivers were simulated using mercury, and above them the ceiling was decorated with heavenly bodies, below which lay the features of the lands of China which the emperor had unified. Some translations of this passage refer to "models" or "imitations"; however, those words were not used in the original text, which also makes no mention of the terracotta army.<ref name="chinesetext">[http://ctext.org/pre-qin-and-han?filter=d270 Sima Qian – Shiji Volume 6] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005004741/http://ctext.org/pre-qin-and-han?filter=d270 |date=5 October 2013 }} 《史記•秦始皇本紀》 '''Original text:''' {{lang|zh-hans|始皇初即位，穿治酈山，及並天下，天下徒送詣七十餘萬人，穿三泉，下銅而致槨，宮觀百官奇器珍怪徙臧滿之。令匠作機駑矢，有所穿近者輒射之。以水銀為百川江河大海，機相灌輸，上具天文，下具地理。以人魚膏為燭，度不滅者久之。二世曰："先帝後宮非有子者，出焉不宜。" 皆令從死，死者甚眾。葬既已下，或言工匠為機，臧皆知之，臧重即泄。大事畢，已臧，閉中羨，下外羨門，盡閉工匠臧者，無複出者。樹草木以象山。}} '''Translation:''' When the First Emperor ascended the throne, the digging and preparation at Mount Li began. After he unified his empire, 700,000 men were sent there from all over his empire. They dug down deep to underground springs, pouring copper to place the outer casing of the coffin. Palaces and viewing towers housing a hundred officials were built and filled with treasures and rare artifacts. Workmen were instructed to make automatic crossbows primed to shoot at intruders. Mercury was used to simulate the hundred rivers, the Yangtze and Yellow River, and the great sea, and set to flow mechanically. Above, the heaven is depicted, below, the geographical features of the land. Candles were made of "mermaid"'s fat which is calculated to burn and not extinguish for a long time. The Second Emperor said: "It is inappropriate for the wives of the late emperor who have no sons to be free", ordered that they should accompany the dead, and a great many died. After the burial, it was suggested that it would be a serious breach if the craftsmen who constructed the tomb and knew of its treasure were to divulge those secrets. Therefore, after the funeral ceremonies had completed, the inner passages and doorways were blocked, and the exit sealed, immediately trapping the workers and craftsmen inside. None could escape. Trees and vegetation were then planted on the tomb mound such that it resembled a hill.</ref>{{sfn|Portal|2007|p=17}} Although these elements of Sima Qian's account on the structure of the mausoleum have been seen as credulous in pre-modern assessments, the detection of high levels of mercury that were found in the soil of the tomb mound following the discovery of the mausoleum site have since given credence to Sima Qian's account.{{sfn|Portal|2007|p=202}} Additionally, the Emperor is well documented for building monumental statues in human form during his reign, such as the ''[[Twelve Metal Colossi]],'' which were a series of contemporaneous statues that are now lost but have been noted in historical records.<ref>{{Cite journal | author-link=Duan Qingbo |last=Qingbo |first=Duan |date=2022 |title=Sino-Western Cultural Exchange as Seen through the Archaeology of the First Emperor's Necropolis |journal=Journal of Chinese History 中國歷史學刊 |volume=7 |language=en |pages=67–70 |doi=10.1017/jch.2022.25 |s2cid=251690411 |issn=2059-1632 |doi-access=free|quote=}}</ref>

Later historical accounts have suggested that the mausoleum complex and tomb itself had been looted by [[Xiang Yu]], a contender for the throne after the death of the first emperor.<ref>[http://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E6%B0%B4%E7%B6%93%E6%B3%A8/19 Shui Jing Zhu Chapter 19] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017080845/http://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E6%B0%B4%E7%B6%93%E6%B3%A8/19 |date=17 October 2012 }} 《水經注•渭水》 '''Original text:''' 項羽入關，發之，以三十萬人，三十日運物不能窮。關東盜賊，銷槨取銅。牧人尋羊，燒之，火延九十日，不能滅。'''Translation:''' Xiang Yu entered the gate, sent forth 300,000 men, but they could not finish carrying away his loot in 30 days. Thieves from northeast melted the coffin and took its copper. A shepherd looking for his lost sheep burned the place, the fire lasted 90 days and could not be extinguished.</ref><ref>[http://ctext.org/dictionary.pl?if=en&id=4944 Sima Qian – Shiji Volume 8] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150506071840/http://ctext.org/dictionary.pl?if=en&id=4944 |date=6 May 2015 }} 《史記•高祖本紀》 '''Original text:''' 項羽燒秦宮室，掘始皇帝塚，私收其財物 '''Translation:''' Xiang Yu burned the Qin palaces, dug up the First Emperor's tomb, and expropriated his possessions.</ref><ref>[http://ctext.org/dictionary.pl?if=en&id=65351 Han Shu] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208140544/http://ctext.org/dictionary.pl?if=en&id=65351 |date=8 December 2015 }}《[[Book of Han|漢書]]·楚元王傳》：'''Original text:''' "項籍焚其宮室營宇，往者咸見發掘，其後牧兒亡羊，羊入其鑿，牧者持火照球羊，失火燒其藏槨。" '''Translation:''' Xiang burned the palaces and buildings. Later observers witnessed the excavated site. Afterward, a shepherd lost his sheep which went into the dug tunnel; the shepherd held a torch to look for his sheep, and accidentally set fire to the place and burned the coffin.</ref> However, there are indications that the tomb itself may not have been plundered.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4359774.stm |title=Royal Chinese treasure discovered |work=BBC News |date=20 October 2005 |access-date=3 December 2011 |archive-date=15 December 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061215145834/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4359774.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Discovery ===
{{nowrap|The Terracotta Army}} was discovered on 29 March 1974 by a group of farmers—[[Yang Zhifa]], his five brothers, and neighbour Wang Puzhi—who were digging a well approximately {{cvt|1.5|km}} east of the Qin Emperor's tomb mound at [[Mount Li]] (Lishan),<ref name="Agnew2010">{{cite book |last=Agnew |first=Neville |title=Conservation of Ancient Sites on the Silk Road |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n8YAyXzJE2IC&pg=PA214 |access-date=11 July 2012 |date=3 August 2010 |publisher=Getty Publications |isbn=978-1-60606-013-1 |page=214 |archive-date=29 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329073020/https://books.google.com/books?id=n8YAyXzJE2IC&pg=PA214 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20170411-the-army-that-conquered-the-world |title=The Army that Conquered the World |first=Jonathan |last=Glancey |date=12 April 2017 |work=BBC |access-date=10 December 2019 |archive-date=28 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191028094809/http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20170411-the-army-that-conquered-the-world |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/archaeology/emperor-qin/ |title=Emperor Qin's Terracotta Army |author=O. Louis Mazzatenta |magazine=National Geographic |access-date=22 November 2010 |archive-date=25 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170225104704/http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/archaeology/emperor-qin/ }}</ref><ref>The precise coordinates are {{Coord|34|23|5.71|N|109|16|23.19|E|type:landmark|display=inline}})</ref> a region riddled with underground springs and watercourses. For centuries, occasional reports surfaced of pieces of terracotta figures and fragments of the Qin [[necropolis]] {{Ndash}} roofing tiles, bricks and chunks of masonry.{{sfn|Clements|2007|pp= 155, 157, 158, 160–161, 166 }} This discovery prompted Chinese archaeologists, including [[Zhao Kangmin]], to investigate,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/05/20/612780909/archaeologist-who-uncovered-chinas-8-000-man-terra-cotta-army-dies-at-82 |title=Archaeologist Who Uncovered China's 8,000-Man Terra Cotta Army Dies At 82 |website=npr.org |date=20 May 2018 |last1=Ingber |first1=Sasha |access-date=21 May 2018 |archive-date=21 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180521021410/https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/05/20/612780909/archaeologist-who-uncovered-chinas-8-000-man-terra-cotta-army-dies-at-82 |url-status=live }}</ref> revealing the largest pottery figurine group ever found. A museum complex has since been constructed over the area, the largest pit being enclosed by a roofed structure.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lonelyplanet.com/china/shaanxi-shanxi/xian/sights/historic/army-terracotta-warriors |title=Army of Terracotta Warriors |work=Lonely Planet |access-date=29 July 2016 |archive-date=21 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821173712/http://www.lonelyplanet.com/china/shaanxi-shanxi/xian/sights/historic/army-terracotta-warriors |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Necropolis ==
[[Image:Terracotta Army-China2.jpg|thumb|left|View of the Terracotta Army]]
[[File:2015-09-22-081415 - Terrakotta-Armee, Grosse Halle.jpg|thumb|left|Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, Hall 1]]

The Terracotta Army is part of a much larger necropolis. Ground-penetrating radar and core sampling have measured the area to be approximately 98 square kilometers (38 square miles).<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/10/china-first-emperor-terra-cotta-warriors-tomb/?sf38672445=1 |title=Discoveries May Rewrite History of China's Terra-Cotta Warriors |date=12 October 2016 |access-date=12 October 2016 |archive-date=19 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190319125512/https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/10/china-first-emperor-terra-cotta-warriors-tomb/?sf38672445=1 }}</ref>

The necropolis was constructed as a microcosm of the emperor's imperial palace or compound,{{Citation needed|date=April 2021}} and covers a large area around the tomb mound of the first emperor. The earthen tomb mound is located at the foot of Mount Li and built in a [[Chinese pyramids|pyramidal]] shape,<ref>{{cite web |author=73号 Qin Ling Bei Lu |url=http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=34.38130,+109.25365&aq=&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=14.588871,37.265625&ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=34.381864,109.254398&spn=0.004967,0.009098&z=16 |title=Google maps |date=1 January 1970 |access-date=3 December 2011 |archive-date=29 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140529153833/https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q |url-status=live }}</ref> and is surrounded by two solidly built [[rammed earth]] walls with gateway entrances. The necropolis consists of several offices, halls, stables, other structures as well as an imperial park placed around the tomb mound.{{Citation needed|date=April 2021}}

The warriors stand guard to the east of the tomb. Up to {{cvt|5|m}} of reddish, sandy soil had accumulated over the site in the two millennia following its construction, but archaeologists found evidence of earlier [[Disturbance (archaeology)|disturbances]] at the site. During the excavations near the Mount Li burial mound, archaeologists found several graves dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, where diggers had apparently struck terracotta fragments. These were discarded as worthless and used along with soil to backfill the excavations.{{sfn|Clements|2007|p=160}}

=== Tomb ===
{{main|Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor}}

The tomb appears to be a hermetically sealed space approximately {{convert|100|×|75|m}}.<ref name="channel4">{{cite web |url=http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/H/history/e-h/firstemperor4a.html |title=The First Emperor |publisher=Channel4.com |access-date=3 December 2011 |archive-date=30 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100930090555/http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/H/history/e-h/firstemperor4a.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite FTP |url=ftp://124.42.15.59/ck/2011-01/165/096/062/464/On%2520the%2520Prediction%2520of%2520Heat%2520Transfer%2520Across%2520Turbulent%2520Liquid%2520Films.pdf+3d+reconstruction+of+underground+palace+of+qin+tomb&hl=en&gl=uk&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESg0Uyt9EYlzOcxA4XPYGfq7TW0LnYcEIcuIYTgZmhVOmZ8iZAf5H9R-1IJN0SrEck4vRM60ZDAv0XbQ4dbqoASdO7bbLhZzYEGTKa607_9Sh6bCIFkEX_pirIG1BthOknVjKOe0&sig=AHIEtbQA1PhVFoMbOjCMjxcO_CUt_rYkDg |server=FTP server |url-status=dead |title=Application of geographical methods to explore the underground palace of the Emperor Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum |access-date=3 December 2011}}</ref> The tomb remains unopened, possibly due to concerns over preservation of its artifacts.<ref name="channel4"/> For example, after the excavation of the Terracotta Army, the painted surface present on some terracotta figures began to flake and fade.<ref>{{Cite journal |author=Nature |url=http://www.nature.com/news/2003/031127/full/news031124-7.html |title=Terracotta Army saved from crack up |journal=News@nature |access-date=3 December 2011 |doi=10.1038/news031124-7 |year=2003 |doi-access=free |archive-date=13 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170713095826/http://www.nature.com/news/2003/031127/full/news031124-7.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref> The lacquer covering the paint can curl in fifteen seconds once exposed to Xi'an's dry air and can flake off in just four minutes.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Larmer |first=Brook |title=Terra-Cotta Warriors in Color |magazine=National Geographic |date=June 2012 |page=86}} Print.</ref>

== Excavation site ==
[[File:Terracotta warriors museum.JPG|thumb|The museum complex containing the excavation sites]]

=== Pits ===
[[Image:Terracotta Army Pit 1 - 2.jpg|thumb|View of Pit 1, the largest excavation pit of the Terracotta Army]]

Four main pits approximately {{cvt|7|m}} deep have since been uncovered in the site excavations.<ref name="lecture">{{cite web |url=http://www.history.ucsb.edu/faculty/barbierilow/Courses/fall%20of%20qin%20and%20tomb/player.html |title=The Necropolis of First Emperor of Qin |publisher=History.ucsb.edu |access-date=3 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111120072354/http://www.history.ucsb.edu/faculty/barbierilow/Courses/fall%20of%20qin%20and%20tomb/player.html |archive-date=20 November 2011 }}</ref><ref name="lothar">{{cite book |url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/6694321/LedderoseA-Magic-Army-for-the-Emperor |title=A Magic Army for the Emperor |author=Lothar Ledderose |access-date=15 September 2017 |archive-date=10 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110144637/http://www.scribd.com/doc/6694321/LedderoseA-Magic-Army-for-the-Emperor |url-status=live }}</ref> These are located approximately {{cvt|1.5|km}} east of the burial mound. The soldiers within were laid out as if to protect the tomb from the east, where the Qin Emperor's conquered states lay, and were discovered 7 m below the excavation level.<ref name="metmuseum.org">{{Cite web |title=Making the Warrior: The Qin Terracotta Soldiers in *Age of Empires* - The Metropolitan Museum of Art |url=https://www.metmuseum.org/articles/terracotta-warriors-age-of-empires |access-date=2024-05-22 |website=www.metmuseum.org |date=10 July 2017 |language=en}}</ref>

====Pit 1====
Pit 1, which is {{cvt|230|m}} long and {{cvt|62|m}} wide,<ref name="Lothar">{{Cite web |title="A Magic Army for the Emperor" Lothar Ledderose, Ten Thousand Things. Moduleand Mass Production in Chinese Art, Princeton, Princeton University Press, 1998, pp.51 - 73 |url=https://www.scribd.com/document/6694321/Ledderose-A-Magic-Army-for-the-Emperor |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210911135328/https://www.scribd.com/document/6694321/Ledderose-A-Magic-Army-for-the-Emperor |archive-date=11 September 2021 |access-date=1 February 2023 |website=Scribd}}</ref> contains the main army of more than 3,000 figures.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.china.org.cn/english/kuaixun/74862.htm |title=The Mausoleum of the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty and Terracotta Warriors and Horses |publisher=China.org.cn |date=12 September 2003 |access-date=3 December 2011 |archive-date=7 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131207141448/http://china.org.cn/english/kuaixun/74862.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> It is the largest of the four pits and has eleven parallel corridors, most more than {{cvt|3|m|round=5}} wide and paved with small bricks with a wooden ceiling supported by large beams and posts.<ref name="metmuseum.org"/> This design was also used for the tombs of nobles and would have resembled palace hallways when built. The wooden ceilings were covered with reed mats and layers of clay for waterproofing, and then mounded with more soil raising them about {{cvt|2|to|3|m}} above the surrounding ground level when completed.{{sfn|Portal|2007}}

==== Others ====

Pit 2 has cavalry and infantry units as well as [[Chariot (China)|war chariots]] and is thought to represent a military guard. Pit 3 is the command post, with high-ranking officers and a war chariot. Pit 4 is empty, perhaps left unfinished by its builders.

Some of the figures in Pits 1 and 2 show fire damage, while remains of burnt ceiling rafters have also been found.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8676886.stm |title=China unearths 114 new Terracotta Warriors |work=BBC News |date=12 May 2010 |access-date=3 December 2011 |archive-date=29 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329073021/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8676886.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> These, together with the missing weapons, have been taken as evidence of the reported looting by Xiang Yu and the subsequent burning of the site, which is thought to have caused the roof to collapse and crush the army figures below. The terracotta figures currently on display have been restored from the fragments.

Other pits that formed the necropolis have also been excavated.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/xian/terracotta/pits.htm |title=Terracotta Accessory Pits |publisher=Travelchinaguide.com |date=10 October 2009 |access-date=3 December 2011 |archive-date=28 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180928044003/https://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/xian/terracotta/pits.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> These pits lie within and outside the walls surrounding the tomb mound. They variously contain bronze carriages, terracotta figures of entertainers such as acrobats and strongmen, officials, stone armour suits, burial sites of horses, rare animals and labourers, as well as bronze cranes and ducks set in an underground park.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/m/daminggong/2010-05/13/content_9845517_3.htm |title=Decoding the Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shihuang |work=China Daily |date=13 May 2010 |access-date=3 December 2011 |archive-date=18 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191218091447/http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/m/daminggong/2010-05/13/content_9845517_3.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Warrior figures ==

===Types and appearance===
[[File:I was impressed with the life-like expression (35300697030).jpg|thumb|left|upright|A terracotta general]]

==== The warriors ====
The terracotta figures are life-sized, typically ranging from {{convert|1.75|metre}} to about {{convert|2|m}} (the officers are typically taller). They vary in height, uniform, and hairstyle in accordance with their portrayed rank. Their faces appear to be different for each individual figure. Scholars have identified 10 base facial forms which were then further developed to give each figure individuality in terms of facial morphology.<ref name="national geographic">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TrPmZXt-wIEC&pg=PA27 |title=The Terra Cotta Warriors |publisher=National Geographic Museum |page=27 |access-date=29 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329073020/https://books.google.com/books?id=TrPmZXt-wIEC&pg=PA27 |archive-date=29 March 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> The figures are of these general types: armored [[infantry]]; unarmored infantry; [[cavalrymen]] who wear a pillbox hat; helmeted drivers of chariots with more armor protection; spear-carrying charioteers; kneeling crossbowmen or archers who are armored; standing archers who are not; as well as generals and other lower-ranking officers.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DbtrAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA110 |title=The Terracotta Warriors: The Secret Codes of the Emperor's Army |first=Maurice |last=Cotterell |publisher=Inner Traditions Bear and Company |date=June 2004 |isbn=978-1-59143-033-9 |pages=105–112 |access-date=29 March 2023 |archive-date=29 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329073020/https://books.google.com/books?id=DbtrAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA110 |url-status=live }}</ref> There are, however, many variations in the uniforms within the ranks: for example, some may wear shin pads while others not; they may wear either long or short trousers, some of which may be padded; and their body armors vary depending on rank, function, and position in formation.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DbtrAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA103 |title=The Terracotta Warriors: The Secret Codes of the Emperor's Army |first=Maurice |last=Cotterell |publisher=Inner Traditions Bear and Company |date=June 2004 |isbn=978-1-59143-033-9 |pages=103–105 |access-date=29 March 2023 |archive-date=29 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329073027/https://books.google.com/books?id=DbtrAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA103 |url-status=live }}</ref> There are also terracotta horses placed among the warrior figures.
{{multiple image|perrow=2|total_width=450|caption_align=center
| align    = right
| direction =horizontal
| header=
| image1   = Xi'an Terracotta Army coloured statuettes.jpg
| caption1 = 
| image2   = Pigments used on terracotta warriors.jpg
| caption2 = 
| footer=Figures with some of their natural coloring, and the pigments used on the Terracotta warriors
}}
Originally, the figures were painted with ground precious stones, intensely fired bones (white), pigments of [[iron oxide]] (dark red), [[cinnabar]] (red), [[malachite]] (green), [[azurite]] (blue), [[charcoal]] (black), [[Han purple and Han blue|cinnabar barium copper silicate mix]] (Chinese purple or Han purple), tree sap from a nearby source (more than likely from the [[Toxicodendron vernicifluum|Chinese lacquer tree]]) (brown),<ref name="azurite">{{cite magazine |last=Larmer |first=Brook |date=June 2012 |title=Terra-Cotta Warriors in Color |magazine=[[National Geographic]] |pages=74–87 |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2012/06/terra-cotta-warriors/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=10 December 2019 |archive-date=10 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191210122059/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2012/06/terra-cotta-warriors/ }}</ref> and other colors including pink, lilac, red, white,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2010-09/09/content_11278335.htm |title=Terracotta army emerges in its true colors |work=[[China Daily]] |date=September 9, 2010 |last=lie |first=Ma |access-date=July 21, 2019 |archive-date=24 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200124003247/https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2010-09/09/content_11278335.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> and one unidentified color.<ref name="azurite"/> The colored lacquer finish and individual facial features would have given the figures a realistic feel, with eyebrows and facial hair in black and the faces done in pink.<ref>{{cite book |title=Imperial Tombs of China |date=1995 |publisher=Lithograph Publishing Company |page=76}}</ref>

However, in [[Xi'an#Climate|Xi'an]]'s dry climate, much of the color coating would flake off in less than four minutes after removing the mud surrounding the army.<ref name="azurite"/>

====The acrobats====
{{multiple image|perrow=2|total_width=300|caption_align=center
| align    = right
| direction =horizontal
| header=
| image1   = Qin Terracotta Acrobat (9897907493).jpg
| caption1 = 
| image2   = Qin acrobat, Pit K9901, Qin Mausoleum.jpg
| caption2 = 
| footer=Two of the ''"[[The Acrobats|Acrobats]]"'' from pit K9901.<ref name="Acrobats"/>
}}
Excavations in Pit K9901 have uncovered in 1999 a series of associated terracotta sculptures that have been dubbed "''[[The Acrobats]]''", which have been remarked to display an advanced understanding of human anatomy.<ref name="DQ">{{cite journal |last1=Qingbo |first1=Duan |title=Sino-Western Cultural Exchange as Seen through the Archaeology of the First Emperor's Necropolis |journal=Journal of Chinese History |date=January 2023 |volume=7 |issue=1 |page=22 |doi=10.1017/jch.2022.25 |s2cid=251690411 |language=en |issn=2059-1632 |quote=Stimulated by his discovery of the terracotta entertainers at the necropolis, which display a style of sculpture unprecedented in East Asia, as well as by the internal steplike architecture embedded within the emperor's tomb mound, Duan began to explore the influence of West Asian cultures on the Qin. He published some preliminary ideas on this topic in his 2011 monograph on the necropolis, but it was most fully explored in three articles published in successive issues of his university journal, Xibei daxue xuebao, in 2015 (translated here in their entirety).|doi-access=free }}</ref> The original function of these statues remains unclear, but they have been described as either potentially acrobat or dancer figures. The number of these figures uncovered thus far are relatively few compared to the more noted warrior figures, with the total discovered probably numbering a dozen. The figures are bare with the exception of a loincloth as dress. These figures are very vivid and less stereotypical than the soldiers, especially through the dynamic treatment of the musculature and bone joints.<ref name="DQ"/> Some of the men are very lean, while others have massive bodies. Several of them are shown in the process of moving or making gestures. These terracotta statues demonstrate an advanced mastery of the depiction of the shapes and proportions of the human body.<ref name="Acrobats">{{cite journal |last1=Nickel |first1=Lukas |title=The First Emperor and sculpture in China |journal=Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies |date=October 2013 |volume=76 |issue=3 |pages=422–427 |doi=10.1017/S0041977X13000487 |language=en |issn=0041-977X |quote=}}</ref>

Eleven of such figurines from Pit K9901 have since been subsequently unearthed with seven of them found in a degree of preservation that made them capable of being largely reconstructed from their fragment shards.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Chen |first=Yumin |date=November 2013 |title=Reflections on China's First Collection of Terracotta Acrobats (an exhibition review) |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1470357213498175 |journal=Visual Communication |language=en |volume=12 |issue=4 |pages=497–502 |doi=10.1177/1470357213498175 |issn=1470-3572|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
{{multiple image
| align = right
| direction = horizontal
| header = 
| header_align = left/right/center
| footer = Terracotta Army General (Left), Mid-rank officer of the Terracotta Army in [[Xi'an]] (right)
| footer_align = left
| image1 = Terrakotta general 2010 (2).jpg
| width1 = 141
| caption1 = 
| image2 = Terrakottaarmén-13.jpg
| width2 = 128
| caption2 = 
}}

==== Speculations on possible influences ====
Since the time of their discovery, the figures have been noted for their exceptional stylistic realism and individualism, with assessments having found that no two figures share the exact same features.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=von Falkenhausen |first=Lothar |date=2008 |title=Action and Image in Early Chinese Art |journal=Cahiers d'Extrême-Asie |volume=17 |pages=51–91 |doi=10.3406/asie.2008.1272 |issn=0766-1177 |jstor=44171471 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Chen |first=Yumin |date=2013 |title=Reflections on China's First Collection of Terracotta Acrobats (an exhibition review) |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1470357213498175 |url-status=live |journal=Visual Communication |language=en |volume=12 |issue=4 |pages=497–502 |doi=10.1177/1470357213498175 |issn=1470-3572 |s2cid=147420437 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230130043016/https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1470357213498175 |archive-date=30 January 2023 |access-date=30 January 2023|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The earliest note on this aspect was that of 20th century art historian German Hafner who, in 1986, was the first to speculate on a possible [[Hellenistic]] link to these sculptures due to the unusual display of naturalism relative to general Qin era sculpture: "the art of the terracotta army originated from Western contact".<ref name="Duan">{{Cite journal |last=Qingbo |first=Duan |date=2022 |title=Sino-Western Cultural Exchange as Seen through the Archaeology of the First Emperor's Necropolis |journal=Journal of Chinese History 中國歷史學刊 |language=en |volume=7 |pages=21–72 |doi=10.1017/jch.2022.25 |issn=2059-1632 |s2cid=251690411 |quote=More than thirty-five years ago [1986], there was a European scholar (German Hafner, 1911–2008) who considered that the art of the terracotta army "originated from Western contact, originated from knowledge of Alexander the Great and the splendor of Greek art." Lukas Nickel of SOAS has put forward a similar proposition. |doi-access=free}}</ref> [[Duan Qingbo]], site chief archaeologist from 1998 to 2006, noted that "the only thing" in extant archaeology which may hold a close similarity to the figures in terms of their artistic style is that of the later 1st century BCE Central Asian [[Khalchayan|Khalchayan statuary]].<ref name="Duan2">{{Cite journal |last=Qingbo |first=Duan |date=2022 |title=Sino-Western Cultural Exchange as Seen through the Archaeology of the First Emperor's Necropolis |journal=Journal of Chinese History 中國歷史學刊 |language=en |volume=7 |pages=21–72 |doi=10.1017/jch.2022.25 |issn=2059-1632 |s2cid=251690411 |quote=The only thing that closely matches the artistic style of the imperial Qin terracotta warriors is the head of a painted pottery figure unearthed in Uzbekistan (...) The way of assembling the head and body for this Kushan figure of a warrior (possibly Saka) was the same as that employed for the Qin terracotta warriors, in that they were fabricated separately, and then the head was inserted into the trunk of the figure. |doi-access=free}}</ref> Li Xiuzhen, a senior archaeologist of the Mausoleum Site Museum,<ref>{{cite web |title=Dr Xiuzhen Li, School of Archaeology, University of Oxford |url=https://www.arch.ox.ac.uk/people/dr-xiuzhen-li-0 |website=www.arch.ox.ac.uk |language=en}}</ref> also acknowledged the possibility of Hellenistic influences, stating: "we now think the Terracotta Army, [[The Acrobats|the acrobats]] and the [[:File:2009 Bronze Goose from Qin Shihuang Terracotta Army Burial.jpg|bronze sculptures found on site]] were inspired by ancient Greek sculptures and art."<ref>{{cite web |date=12 October 2016 |title=Western contact with China began long before Marco Polo, experts say |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-37624943 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200316221530/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-37624943 |archive-date=16 March 2020 |access-date=19 October 2023 |website=BBC News}}</ref> She later also asserted ultimate Chinese authorship: "the terracotta warriors may be inspired by Western culture, but were uniquely made by the Chinese."<ref name="han-sil">{{cite web |author1=Hanink, Johanna |author2=Silva, Felipe Rojas |date=20 November 2016 |title=Why China's Terracotta Warriors Are Stirring Controversy |url=https://www.livescience.com/56939-china-terracotta-warriors-stir-controversy.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200105042337/https://www.livescience.com/56939-china-terracotta-warriors-stir-controversy.html |archive-date=5 January 2020 |access-date=5 October 2017 |publisher=Live Science}} Originally published in {{cite news |last1=Hanink<!-- Associate Professor of Classics, Brown University --> |first1=Johanna |last2=Silva<!-- Assistant Professor of Archaeology and the Ancient World, Brown University --> |first2=Felipe Rojas |date=18 November 2016 |title=Why there's so much backlash to the theory that Greek art inspired China's Terracotta Army |url=https://theconversation.com/why-theres-so-much-backlash-to-the-theory-that-greek-art-inspired-chinas-terracotta-army-67488 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200914140156/https://theconversation.com/why-theres-so-much-backlash-to-the-theory-that-greek-art-inspired-chinas-terracotta-army-67488 |archive-date=14 September 2020 |access-date=22 February 2018 |work=The Conversation}}</ref>

[[Johanna Hanink]] and Felipe Rojas Silva of [[Brown University]] argued that such speculations rest on flawed and old Eurocentric ideas that assumed other civilizations were incapable of sophisticated artistry and thus foreign artistry must be seen through Western traditions.<ref name="han-sil" /> Zhang Weixing, the chief archaeologist and archaeological work department director of the Mausoleum Site Museum,<ref>{{cite web |title=西北大学主页平台管理系统 张卫星 |url=https://faculty.nwu.edu.cn/zhangweixing/zh_CN/index.htm |website=faculty.nwu.edu.cn |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250531180547/https://faculty.nwu.edu.cn/zhangweixing/zh_CN/index.htm |archive-date=31 May 2025}}</ref> stated that "there is no substantial evidence at all" for any such linkage.<ref name="han-sil" /> Raoul McLaughlin, an independent researcher on Roman trade, stated that there is no Greek influence on the Terracotta Army and emphasized the differences in artisanship, construction material, and symbology.<ref name="WHC">{{cite journal |last1=Bulla |first1=Patrick Michelle |date=October 2019 |title=The Qin Dynasty, the Hellenistic Empire, and the Art that May Connect Them: Why Exploring Cultural Connections Matters for Educators and Students of World History |url=https://worldhistoryconnected.press.uillinois.edu/16.3/forum_bulla.html |url-status=live |journal=World History Connected |volume=16 |issue=3 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230606084945/https://worldhistoryconnected.press.uillinois.edu/16.3/forum_bulla.html |archive-date=6 June 2023 |access-date=29 October 2023}}</ref> Darryl Wilkinson of [[Dartmouth College]] has instead argued that the Qin era display of sculptural naturalism, alongside that of the pre-Columbian [[Moche culture]] in Peru, indicate that "the Greeks did not invent naturalism" and that "sculptural naturalism is not the product of any one culture's civilizational 'genius.{{'"}}<ref>{{Citation |last=Wilkinson |first=Darryl |title=On the Ontological Significance of Naturalistic Art |date=2022 |work=Ancient Art Revisited |pages=47–66 |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003131038-3/ontological-significance-naturalistic-art-darryl-wilkinson |access-date=2023-10-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231019071933/https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003131038-3/ontological-significance-naturalistic-art-darryl-wilkinson |archive-date=19 October 2023 |url-status=live |publisher=Routledge |doi=10.4324/9781003131038-3 |isbn=978-1-003-13103-8|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

===Construction===
[[File:Terracota Warriors - Guardians of China's First Emperor at the National Geographic Museum - 4116782456.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Construction of the terracotta statues: a modern diorama by the Mausoleum Site Museum.<ref>{{cite web |title=China's Terracotta Army: Exploring the Tomb Complex and Values... |url=https://learninglab.si.edu/collections/chinas-terracotta-army-exploring-the-tomb-complex-and-values-of-chinas-first-emperor/pA9gHHEwGyGpE7hx#r/293995 |website=Smithsonian Learning Lab |language=en |access-date=23 October 2023 |archive-date=8 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208001634/https://learninglab.si.edu/collections/chinas-terracotta-army-exploring-the-tomb-complex-and-values-of-chinas-first-emperor/pA9gHHEwGyGpE7hx#r/293995 |url-status=live }}</ref>]]
The terracotta army figures were manufactured in workshops by government laborers and local craftsmen using local materials. Heads, arms, legs, and torsos were created separately and then assembled by [[luting]] the pieces together. When completed, the terracotta figures were placed in the pits in precise military formation according to rank and duty.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.upf.edu/materials/huma/central/abast/ledder.htm |title=A Magic Army for the Emperor |publisher=Upf.edu |date=1 October 1979 |access-date=3 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111128181533/http://www.upf.edu/materials/huma/central/abast/ledder.htm |archive-date=28 November 2011 }}</ref> In 2021, morphological studies have shown that there is a strong resemblance between the statues and that of the local region's modern inhabitants, which has led some scholars to theorize that the high level of stylistic realism stems from the figures being modelled on actual soldiers.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hu |first1=Yungang |last2=Wang |first2=Jingyang |last3=Lan |first3=Dexing |date=2021-05-01 |title=Statistical analysis of the differences of head and face features between terracotta warriors and modern multi ethnic groups based on 3D information extraction |journal=IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science |volume=783 |issue=1 |article-number=012096 |bibcode=2021E&ES..783a2096H |doi=10.1088/1755-1315/783/1/012096 |issn=1755-1307 |s2cid=235387759 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hu |first1=Yungang |last2=Lan |first2=Desheng |last3=Wang |first3=Jingyang |last4=Hou |first4=Miaole |last5=Li |first5=Songnian |last6=Li |first6=Xiuzhen |last7=Zhu |first7=Lei |date=2022-03-21 |title=Measurement and analysis of facial features of terracotta warriors based on high-precision 3D point clouds |journal=Heritage Science |volume=10 |issue=1 |page=40 |doi=10.1186/s40494-022-00662-0 |issn=2050-7445 |s2cid=247572024 |doi-access=free}}</ref> The faces were created using [[Molding (process)|molds]], and at least ten face molds may have been used.<ref name="national geographic" /> Clay was then added after assembly to provide individual facial features to make each figure appear different.{{sfn|Portal|2007|p=170}} It is believed that the warriors' legs were made in much the same way that terracotta drainage pipes were manufactured at the time. This would classify the process as [[assembly line]] production, with specific parts manufactured and assembled after being fired, as opposed to crafting a figure as one solid piece and subsequently firing it. In those times of tight imperial control, each workshop was required to inscribe its name on items produced to ensure quality control. This has aided modern historians in verifying which workshops were commandeered to make tiles and other mundane items for the terracotta army.

====Mass grave pit of the Necropolis workers====
A grave pit was discovered and excavated in 2003 with 121 skeletons retrieved which has been identified by scholars to be attributable to the site workers. The individuals have been assessed to be predominantly from the age range of 15 to 40 years old, with an average height of around 1.7 meters. Many studies have concentrated on analyzing these workers including craniometric as well as genetic studies, which were conducted to try to understand the workers' origins. According to [[Duan Qingbo]], lead archaeologist and Director of Excavations at the Mausoleum from 1998 to 2006, DNA analysis work on a group of 19 skeletons, in comparison with 33 contemporary Chinese individuals, showed that the workers and laborers analyzed exhibited a diverse range of ethnicities, traceable to that of both Han and minority ethnicities, with a particular concentration of individuals from southern China.<ref>{{Cite journal | author-link=Duan Qingbo |last=Qingbo |first=Duan |date=2022 |title=Sino-Western Cultural Exchange as Seen through the Archaeology of the First Emperor's Necropolis |journal=Journal of Chinese History 中國歷史學刊 |volume=7 |language=en |page=12 |doi=10.1017/jch.2022.25 |s2cid=251690411 |issn=2059-1632 |doi-access=free|quote=}}</ref>

=== Weaponry ===
[[File:Bronze jian of the Terracotta Army.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Bronze ''[[jian]]'' sword]]
[[File:Terra Cotta Warriors, Guardians of China’s First Emperor.jpg|thumb|left|A bronze helmet unearthed from the site]]
[[File:Terra Cotta Warriors, Guardians of China’s First Emperor 1.jpg|thumb|left|A suit of armor unearthed from the site]]

Most of the figures originally held real weapons, which would have increased their realism. The majority of these weapons were looted shortly after the creation of the army or have rotted away. Despite this, over 40,000 bronze items of weaponry have been recovered, including swords, daggers, spears, lances, battle-axes, scimitars, shields, crossbows, and crossbow triggers. Most of the recovered items are arrowheads, which are usually found in bundles of 100 units.<ref name="lecture" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shaanxi/xian/terra_cotta_army/weapon_1.htm |title=Exquisite Weaponry of Terra Cotta Army |publisher=Travelchinaguide.com |access-date=3 December 2011 |archive-date=2 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200302224541/https://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shaanxi/xian/terra_cotta_army/weapon_1.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Making Weapons for the Terracotta Army |author=Marcos Martinón-Torres |author2=Xiuzhen Janice Li |author3=Andrew Bevan |author4=Yin Xia |author5=Zhao Kun |author6=Thilo Rehren |date=2011 |journal=Archaeology International |volume=13 |pages=65–75 |doi=10.5334/ai.1316 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Studies of these arrowheads suggest that they were produced by self-sufficient, autonomous workshops using a process referred to as ''cellular production'' or ''[[Toyotism]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/chinese-terra-cotta-warriors-had-real-and-very-carefully-made-weapons/2012/11/26/999b9cb4-2840-11e2-b4e0-346287b7e56c_story.html |title=Chinese terra cotta warriors had real, and very carefully made, weapons |first=Jennifer |last=Pinkowski |date=26 November 2012 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=19 October 2016 |archive-date=19 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019150519/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/chinese-terra-cotta-warriors-had-real-and-very-carefully-made-weapons/2012/11/26/999b9cb4-2840-11e2-b4e0-346287b7e56c_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Some weapons were coated with a 10–15 micrometer layer of [[chromium dioxide]] before burial that was believed to have protected them from any form of decay for the last 2200 years.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chinatourguide.com/xian/terracotta_warriors_details.html |title=Terracotta Warriors (Terracotta Army) |publisher=China Tour Guide |access-date=28 July 2011 |archive-date=29 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029054408/http://www.chinatourguide.com/xian/terracotta_warriors_details.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K5PpAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA102 |title=China's imperial tombs and mausoleums |author=Zhewen Luo |year=1993 |publisher=Foreign Languages Press |isbn=978-7-119-01619-1 |access-date=28 June 2010 |page=102 |archive-date=29 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329073021/https://books.google.com/books?id=K5PpAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA102 |url-status=live }}</ref> However, research in 2019 indicated that the chromium was merely contamination from nearby lacquer, not a means of protecting the weapons. The slightly alkaline pH and small particle size of the burial soil most likely preserved the weapons.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Martinón-Torres |first1=Marcos |display-authors=etal |title=Surface chromium on Terracotta Army bronze weapons is neither an ancient anti-rust treatment nor the reason for their good preservation |journal=Scientific Reports |date=4 April 2019 |volume=9 |issue=1 |page=5289 |doi=10.1038/s41598-019-40613-7 |pmid=30948737 |pmc=6449376 |bibcode=2019NatSR...9.5289M}}</ref>

The swords contain an alloy of copper, tin, and other elements including nickel, magnesium, and cobalt.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/terracottawarriors/assets/tcw-exhibition-eguide.pdf |title=Terracotta Warriors |year=2009 |magazine=National Geographic |access-date=28 July 2011}}{{dead link |date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Some carry inscriptions that date their manufacture to between 245 and 228 BCE, indicating that they were used before burial.<ref name="bm">{{cite web |url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/PDF/Teachers_resource_pack_30_8a.pdf |title=The First Emperor – China's Terracotta Army – Teacher's Resource Pack |publisher=British Museum |access-date=15 June 2017 |archive-date=15 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161215125655/http://www.britishmuseum.org/PDF/Teachers_resource_pack_30_8a.pdf }}</ref>

===Precedents and legacy===
{{multiple image
|image1 = Funerary figurines from the mausoleum of Lu Wu, Prince of Liang.jpg
|caption1 = Han dynasty funerary terracotta from the mausoleum of the Prince of Liang.
|image2= Han Terracotta Warriors, Pit 1, Han Tomb of Liu Wu, King of Chu (10082899994).jpg
|caption2 = Han dynasty terracotta warriors of the Tomb of Liu Wu, King of Chu.}}
Only very few figurines are known from before the time of the terracotta army, so that the humanistic and animalistic style may have appeared dramatically new to their contemporaries.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Nickel |first1=Lukas |date=October 2013 |title=The First Emperor and sculpture in China |journal=Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies |language=en |volume=76 |issue=3 |pages=416–418 |doi=10.1017/S0041977X13000487 |issn=0041-977X |quote=From the centuries immediately preceding the Qin Dynasty again we know of only a few depictions of the human figure (...) figures of people and animals were very rare exceptions to the conventional imagery of the Zhou period (...) Depictions of the human figure were not a common part of the representational canon in China before the Qin Dynasty (...) In von Falkenhausen's words, "nothing in the archaeological record prepares one for the size, scale, and technically accomplished execution of the First Emperor's terracotta soldiers". For his contemporaries, the First Emperor's sculptures must have been something dramatically new.}}</ref> In extant archaeology, only rare and very small terracotta warrior figurines are known from the end of the [[Zhou dynasty]] in 4th-3rd century BCE, such as the ''[[Taerpo horserider]]'', the first known representation of a cavalryman in China, from a military tomb in the Taerpo cemetery near [[Xianyang]] ([[Qin (state)|Qin state]] of the [[Warring States period]]).<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Nickel |first1=Lukas |date=October 2013 |title=The First Emperor and sculpture in China |journal=Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies |language=en |volume=76 |issue=3 |pages=416–418 |doi=10.1017/S0041977X13000487 |issn=0041-977X |quote=In addition, there are the statuettes of two horse riders which came to light in a late fourth-century bc tomb in Taerpo 塔兒坡, Xianyang, Shaanxi, which are believed to be the earliest depiction of riders in China....}}</ref><ref name="MK">{{cite journal |last1=Khayutina |first1=Maria |date=Autumn 2013 |title=From wooden attendants to terracotta warriors |url=https://www.iias.asia/sites/iias/files/nwl_article/2019-05/IIAS_NL65_1213.pdf |url-status=live |journal=Bernisches Historisches Museum the Newsletter |volume=65 |page=2, Fig.4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231022115230/https://www.iias.asia/sites/iias/files/nwl_article/2019-05/IIAS_NL65_1213.pdf |archive-date=22 October 2023 |access-date=22 October 2023 |quote=Other noteworthy terracotta figurines were found in 1995 in a 4th-3rd century BCE tomb in the Taerpo cemetery near Xianyang in Shaanxi Province, where the last Qin capital of the same name was located from 350 to 207 BCE. These are the earliest representations of cavalrymen in China discovered up to this day. One of this pair can now be seen at the exhibition in Bern (Fig. 4). A small, ca. 23 cm tall, figurine represents a man sitting on a settled horse. He stretches out his left hand, whereas his right hand points downwards. Holes pierced through both his fists suggest that he originally held the reins of his horse in one hand and a weapon in the other. The rider wears a short jacket, trousers and boots – elements of the typical outfit of the inhabitants of the Central Asian steppes. Trousers were first introduced in the early Chinese state of Zhao during the late 4th century BCE, as the Chinese started to learn horse riding from their nomadic neighbours. The state of Qin should have adopted the nomadic clothes about the same time. But the figurine from Taerpo also has some other features that may point to its foreign identity: a hood-like headgear with a flat wide crown framing his face and a high, pointed nose.}} Also in {{cite book |last1=Khayutina |first1=Maria |title=Qin: the eternal emperor and his terracotta warriors |date=2013 |publisher=Neue Zürcher Zeitung |isbn=978-3-03823-838-6 |edition=1. Aufl |location=Zürich |page=cat. no. 314}}</ref> The rider wears [[Central Asian]], [[Saka|Scythian]]-style clothing,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Qingbo |first1=Duan |date=January 2023 |title=Sino-Western Cultural Exchange as Seen through the Archaeology of the First Emperor's Necropolis |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/3F6506262A9ED57C9DC3827EEAA6B230/S2059163222000251a.pdf/sino-western-cultural-exchange-as-seen-through-the-archaeology-of-the-first-emperors-necropolis.pdf |url-status=live |journal=Journal of Chinese History |volume=7 |issue=1 |page=26 Fig.1, 27 |doi=10.1017/jch.2022.25 |s2cid=251690411 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231022115226/https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/3F6506262A9ED57C9DC3827EEAA6B230/S2059163222000251a.pdf/sino-western-cultural-exchange-as-seen-through-the-archaeology-of-the-first-emperors-necropolis.pdf |archive-date=22 October 2023 |access-date=22 October 2023 |quote=In terms of formal characteristics and style of dress and adornment, the closest parallels to the Warring States-period Qin figurines are found in the Scythian culture. Wang Hui 王輝 has examined the exchanges between the cultures of the Yellow River valley and the Scythian culture of the steppe. During a 2007 exhibition on the Scythians in Berlin, there was a bronze hood on display labeled a "Kazakh military cap." This bronze hood and the clothing of the nomads in kneeling posture [also depicted in the exhibition] are very similar in form to those of the terracotta figurines from the late Warring States Qin-period tomb at the Taerpo site (see Figure 1). The style of the Scythian bronze horse figures and the saddle, bridle, and other accessories on their bodies are nearly identical to those seen on the Warring States-period Qin figurines and a similar type of artifact from the Ordos region, and they all date to the fifth to third centuries BCE.}}</ref> and his high pointed nose suggests he is a foreigner,<ref name="MK" /> but these early statuettes have been argued to lack the naturalistic and realistic quality of the Qin terracota army.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Nickel |first1=Lukas |date=October 2013 |title=The First Emperor and sculpture in China |journal=Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies |language=en |volume=76 |issue=3 |pages=416–421 |doi=10.1017/S0041977X13000487 |issn=0041-977X |quote=}}</ref>

The terracotta army left a legacy however, as funeral terracotta armies are known from later dynasties, although in a less stern and militaristic style, and with much smaller statuettes, such as the [[Western Han]] [[Yangjiawan terracotta army]] (195 BCE) or [[Yangling terracotta army]] (141 BCE).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Chong |first1=Alan |url=https://www.academia.edu/55217857 |title=Terracotta Warriors: The First Emperor and His Legacy |date=1 January 2011 |publisher=Asian Civilisations Museum |access-date=22 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231221093005/https://www.academia.edu/55217857 |archive-date=21 December 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> The human-sized monumental style of the Qin emperor has thus been observed by scholars to be a relatively short-lived artistic phase which would not reappear until the 4-6th centuries CE with the onset of monumental [[Buddhist sculpture]] in China.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Qingbo |first1=Duan |author-link=Duan Qingbo |title=Persian and Greek Participation in the making of China's First Empire (Video timing: 45:00-47:00) |date=9 April 2019 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=ASy32tcsYbk&ab_channel=ChinaOnscreen |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231027041415/https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=ASy32tcsYbk&ab_channel=ChinaOnscreen |archive-date=27 October 2023 |access-date=25 October 2023 |publisher=Video of 2018 conference at UCLA |language=en}}</ref>

== Scientific research ==

In 2007, scientists at [[Stanford University]] and the [[Advanced Light Source]] facility in Berkeley, California, reported that [[powder diffraction]] experiments combined with [[energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy]] and [[micro-X-ray fluorescence]] analysis showed that the process of producing terracotta figures colored with [[Han purple and Han blue|Chinese purple]] dye consisting of [[barium]] [[copper]] [[silicate]] was derived from the knowledge gained by [[Taoist]] alchemists in their attempts to synthesize [[jade]] ornaments.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Bertrand |first=Loïc |author2=Robinet, Laurianne |author3=Thoury, Mathieu |author4=Janssens, Koen |author5=Cohen, Serge X. |author6=Schöder, Sebastian |title=Cultural heritage and archaeology materials studied by synchrotron spectroscopy and imaging |journal=[[Applied Physics A]] |date=26 November 2011 |volume=106 |issue=2 |pages=377–396 |doi=10.1007/s00339-011-6686-4 |s2cid=95827070 |url=https://zenodo.org/record/3411656}}{{Dead link |date=February 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Liu |first=Z. |author2=Mehta, A. |author3=Tamura, N. |author4=Pickard, D. |author5=Rong, B. |author6=Zhou, T. |author7=Pianetta, P. |title=Influence of Taoism on the invention of the purple pigment used on the Qin terracotta warriors |journal=[[Journal of Archaeological Science]] |date=November 2007 |volume=34 |issue=11 |pages=1878–1883 |doi=10.1016/j.jas.2007.01.005 |bibcode=2007JArSc..34.1878L |citeseerx=10.1.1.381.8552 |s2cid=17797649}}</ref>

Since 2006, an international team of researchers at the [[UCL Institute of Archaeology]] have been using [[analytical chemistry]] techniques to uncover more details about the production techniques employed in the creation of the Terracotta Army. Using [[X-ray fluorescence]] spectrometry of 40,000 bronze [[arrowhead]]s bundled in groups of 100, the researchers reported that the arrowheads within a single bundle formed a relatively tight cluster that was different from other bundles. In addition, the presence or absence of metallic impurities was consistent within bundles. Based on the arrows' chemical compositions, the researchers concluded that a [[cellular manufacturing]] system similar to the one used in a modern [[Toyota]] factory, as opposed to a continuous [[assembly line]] in the early days of the automobile industry, was employed.<ref name="rsc">{{cite magazine |last=Rees |first=Simon |title=Chemistry unearths the secrets of the Terracotta Army |url=https://eic.rsc.org/feature/chemistry-unearths-the-secrets-of-the-terracotta-army/2000074.article |magazine=[[Education in Chemistry]] |volume=51 |issue=2 |pages=22–25 |publisher=[[Royal Society of Chemistry]] |access-date=29 March 2014 |date=6 March 2014 |archive-date=17 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170517232748/https://eic.rsc.org/feature/chemistry-unearths-the-secrets-of-the-terracotta-army/2000074.article |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Martinón-Torres |first=Marcos |author2=Li, Xiuzhen Janice |author3=Bevan, Andrew |author4=Xia, Yin |author5=Zhao, Kun |author6=Rehren, Thilo |title=Forty Thousand Arms for a Single Emperor: From Chemical Data to the Labor Organization Behind the Bronze Arrows of the Terracotta Army |journal=Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory |volume=21 |issue=3 |page=534 |date=20 October 2012 |doi=10.1007/s10816-012-9158-z |s2cid=163088428 |url=http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1361957/1/Rehren_Forty_thousand_arms_for_a_single_emperor.pdf |access-date=14 November 2018 |archive-date=22 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170922135055/http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1361957/1/Rehren_Forty_thousand_arms_for_a_single_emperor.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

Grinding and polishing marks visible under a [[scanning electron microscope]] have provided evidence for the earliest industrial use of [[lathe]]s for polishing.<ref name="rsc"/>

According to a 2022 study, there is statistically no difference between the facial features of terracotta warriors and contemporary Chinese populations, particularly northern and western Chinese populations. However, the issue of terracotta warriors being potentially deformed and Chinese populations undergoing changes in their facial features due to climate change and dietary factors were not addressed.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hu |first1=Yungang |last2=Lan |first2=Desheng |last3=Wang |first3=Jingyang |last4=Hou |first4=Miaole |display-authors=3 |date=2022 |title=Measurement and analysis of facial features of terracotta warriors based on high-precision 3D point clouds |journal=Heritage Science |volume=10 |issue=40 |doi=10.1186/s40494-022-00662-0 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

== Exhibitions ==
[[File:Terracotta Warriors Exhibition San Francisco 2013.jpg|thumb|left|Terracotta Warriors exhibition in [[San Francisco]], U.S.]]

The first exhibition of the figures outside of China was held at the [[National Gallery of Victoria|National Gallery of Victoria (NGV)]] in [[Melbourne]], Australia in 1982.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-17/chinas-terracotta-warriors-come-to-australia-for-ngv-exhibit/10626348 |title=China's terracotta warriors will visit Melbourne for National Gallery of Victoria's Winter Masterpieces series |first=Dee |last=Jefferson |date=2018-12-16 |publisher=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]] |department=Arts |access-date=2018-12-18 |archive-date=2020-11-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108180030/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-17/chinas-terracotta-warriors-come-to-australia-for-ngv-exhibit/10626348 |url-status=live }}</ref>

A collection of 120 objects from the mausoleum and 12 terracotta warriors were displayed at the [[British Museum]] in London as its special exhibition "The First Emperor: China's Terracotta Army" from 13 September 2007 to April 2008.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/the_museum/news_and_press/press_releases/2007/the_first_emperor.aspx |title=The First Emperor: China's Terracotta Army |publisher=British Museum |access-date=2017-06-15 |archive-date=2011-08-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811175153/http://www.britishmuseum.org/the_museum/news_and_press/press_releases/2007/the_first_emperor.aspx }}</ref> This exhibition made 2008 the British Museum's most successful year and made the British Museum the United Kingdom's top cultural attraction between 2007 and 2008.<ref name="guardian">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2008/jul/02/design.heritage |title=Terracotta army makes British Museum favourite attraction |work=The Guardian |location=London |date=2008-07-02 |first=Charlotte |last=Higgins |access-date=2010-05-25 |archive-date=2019-03-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331204554/https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2008/jul/02/design.heritage |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bestwestern.co.uk/Editorial-News/Article/British-Museum-sees-its-most-successful-year-ever-401.aspx |title=British Museum sees its most successful year ever |work=Best Western |date=3 July 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011084803/http://www.bestwestern.co.uk/Editorial-News/Article/British-Museum-sees-its-most-successful-year-ever-401.aspx |archive-date=2008-10-11}}</ref> The exhibition brought the most visitors to the museum since the [[Tutankhamun|King Tutankhamun]] exhibition in 1972.<ref name="guardian"/> It was reported that the 400,000 advance tickets sold out so fast that the museum extended its opening hours until midnight.<ref name="greatexhibitions">{{cite web |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/british-museum-ponders-24-hour-opening-for-terracotta-warriors-1.632243 |title=British Museum ponders 24-hour opening for terracotta warriors |publisher=CBC News |date=22 November 2007 |access-date=29 July 2016 |archive-date=13 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160813173758/http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/british-museum-ponders-24-hour-opening-for-terracotta-warriors-1.632243 |url-status=live }}</ref> According to ''[[The Times]]'', many people had to be turned away, despite the extended hours.<ref name="thetimes">{{cite news |url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/visual_arts/article4296037.ece |title=Is the British Museum the greatest museum on earth? |work=The Times |location=London |date=9 July 2008 |first=Damian |last=Whitworth |access-date=25 May 2010 |archive-date=16 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616042845/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/visual_arts/article4296037.ece }}</ref> During the day of events to mark the [[Chinese New Year]], the crush was so intense that the gates to the museum had to be shut.<ref name="thetimes"/> The Terracotta Army has been described as the only other set of historic artifacts (along with the remnants of the wreck of the [[RMS Titanic|RMS ''Titanic'']]) that can draw a crowd by the name alone.<ref name="greatexhibitions"/>
[[File:Photograph of The Reagans standing with the Terra Cotta figures in Xi'an, China - NARA - 198547.tif|thumb|U.S. President [[Ronald Reagan]] and First Lady [[Nancy Reagan]] visiting the Terracotta Army in Xi'an, 1984]]

Warriors and other artifacts were exhibited to the public at the ''Forum de Barcelona'' in [[Barcelona]] between 9 May and 26 September 2004. It was their most successful exhibition ever.<ref>{{cite web |author=DesarrolloWeb |url=http://www.guiarte.com/noticias/los-guerreros-de-xian-en-el-forum-de-barcelona.html |title=Los guerreros de Xian, en el Forum de Barcelona |publisher=Guiarte.com |date=19 April 2007 |access-date=2011-12-03 |archive-date=2018-03-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328231836/https://guiarte.com/noticias/los-guerreros-de-xian-en-el-forum-de-barcelona.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The same exhibition was presented at the ''Fundación Canal de Isabel II'' in Madrid between October 2004 and January 2005, their most successful ever.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.futuropasado.com/?p=198 |title=Guerreros de Xian |publisher=Futuropasado.com |access-date=3 December 2011 |archive-date=19 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190319134315/https://www.futuropasado.com/?p=198 }}</ref> From December 2009 to May 2010, the exhibition was shown in the ''Centro Cultural La Moneda'' in [[Santiago de Chile]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://latercera.com/contenido/727_202192_9.shtml |title=Llegan a Chile los legendarios Guerreros de Terracota de China |publisher=Latercera.com |access-date=3 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111021205157/http://latercera.com/contenido/727_202192_9.shtml |archive-date=21 October 2011 }}</ref>

The exhibition traveled to North America and visited museums such as the [[Asian Art Museum of San Francisco]], [[Bowers Museum]] in Santa Ana, California, [[Houston Museum of Natural Science]], [[High Museum of Art]] in Atlanta,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.guangzhouhotel.com/news/Terracotta_Army_Exhibition.shtml |title=Record-Breaking Terracotta Army Exhibition at Atlanta museum |access-date=16 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711132527/http://www.guangzhouhotel.com/news/Terracotta_Army_Exhibition.shtml |archive-date=2011-07-11 }}</ref> [[National Geographic Society]] Museum in Washington, D.C., and the [[Royal Ontario Museum]] in Toronto.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/rom-s-terracotta-warriors-show-a-blockbuster-1.1007961 |title=ROM's terracotta warriors show a blockbuster |publisher=CBC |date=2011-01-06 |access-date=2011-01-16 |archive-date=2011-01-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110110044845/http://www.cbc.ca/arts/artdesign/story/2011/01/06/terracotta-warriors-rom-attendance.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Subsequently, the exhibition traveled to Sweden and was hosted in the [[Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities]] between 28 August 2010 and 20 January 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nileguide.com/destination/stockholm/local-events/china-s-terracotta-army/14617 |title=China's Terracotta Army, Stockholm, Sweden, Reviews |access-date=20 January 2010 |archive-date=29 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329073038/https://cloudfilt.com/stop-207.241.225.226-rrCKQtilnAmKK8emPhR8 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=40000 |title=World Famous Terracotta Army Arrives in Stockholm for Exhibition at Ostasiatiska Museum |access-date=20 January 2010 |archive-date=22 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081122051721/http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2 |url-status=live }}</ref> An exhibition entitled 'The First Emperor – China's Entombed Warriors', presenting 120 artifacts was hosted at the [[Art Gallery of New South Wales]], between 2 December 2010 and 13 March 2011.<ref>{{cite web |title=Terracotta warriors, Picassos heading to Sydney |publisher=ABC News |date=14 October 2010 |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2010-10-14/terracotta-warriors-picassos-heading-to-sydney/2298760 |access-date=23 January 2011 |archive-date=12 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112175447/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2010-10-14/terracotta-warriors-picassos-heading-to-sydney/2298760 |url-status=live }}</ref> An exhibition entitled "''L'Empereur guerrier de Chine et son armée de terre cuite''" ("The Warrior-Emperor of China and his terracotta army"), featuring artifacts including statues from the mausoleum, was hosted by the [[Montreal Museum of Fine Arts]] from 11 February 2011 to 26 June 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mbam.qc.ca/empereurdechine/index.html |title=Empereur Guerrier De Chine Et Son Armee De Terre Cuite |publisher=Mbam.qc.ca |access-date=3 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930200804/http://www.mbam.qc.ca/empereurdechine/index.html |archive-date=30 September 2011 }}</ref> In Italy, from July 2008 to 16 November 2008, five of the warriors of the terracotta army were displayed in [[Turin]] at the Museum of Antiquities,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ilsole24ore.com/art/SoleOnLine4/Tempo%20libero%20e%20Cultura/2008/07/celeste-impero.shtml?uuid=04e02b30-53d3-11dd-b517-978c7de2eb40&type=Libero |title=Il Celeste Impero. Guerrieri di terracotta a Torino – Il Sole 24 ORE |access-date=21 January 2015 |archive-date=21 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150121184601/http://www.ilsole24ore.com/art/SoleOnLine4/Tempo%20libero%20e%20Cultura/2008/07/celeste-impero.shtml?uuid=04e02b30-53d3-11dd-b517-978c7de2eb40&type=Libero |url-status=live }}</ref> and from 16 April 2010 to 5 September 2010 nine statues including officials, lancers and an archer were displayed at the [[Royal Palace of Milan|Royal Palace]] in [[Milan]] at the exhibition entitled "The Two Empires".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://viaggi.nanopress.it/news/esercito-di-terracotta-dalla-cina-a-palazzo-reale-di-milano/P18267/ |title=Esercito di Terracotta: dalla Cina a Palazzo Reale di Milano – NanoPress Viaggi |date=9 April 2010 |access-date=21 January 2015 |archive-date=1 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401015139/https://viaggi.nanopress.it/news/esercito-di-terracotta-dalla-cina-a-palazzo-reale-di-milano/P18267/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Soldiers and related items were on display from 15 March 2013 to 17 November 2013, at the [[Historical Museum of Bern]].<ref name=DerBund>{{Cite news |title=Die Terrakotta-Krieger sind da |url=http://www.derbund.ch/bern/stadt/Die-TerrakottaKrieger-sind-da/story/22768498 |newspaper=Der Bund |access-date=21 June 2015 |date=22 February 2013 |archive-date=22 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150622014809/http://www.derbund.ch/bern/stadt/Die-TerrakottaKrieger-sind-da/story/22768498 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Several Terracotta Army figures were on display, along with many other objects, in an exhibit entitled "Age of Empires: Chinese Art of the Qin and Han Dynasties" at The [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] in [[New York City]] from 3 April 2017, to 16 July 2017.<ref>[http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2017/age-of-empires Age of Empires: Chinese Art of the Qin and Han Dynasties] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170411221249/http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2017/age-of-empires |date=11 April 2017 }} Metropolitan Museum of Art</ref><ref>[https://www.wsj.com/articles/age-of-empires-chinese-art-of-the-qin-and-han-dynasties-221-b-c-a-d-220-review-treasures-of-nation-building-1491735606 'Age of Empires: Chinese Art of the Qin and Han Dynasties (221 B.C.–A.D. 220)' Review: Treasures of Nation-Building] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170412062715/https://www.wsj.com/articles/age-of-empires-chinese-art-of-the-qin-and-han-dynasties-221-b-c-a-d-220-review-treasures-of-nation-building-1491735606 |date=12 April 2017 }} ''Wall Street Journal''</ref> An exhibition featuring ten Terracotta Army figures and other artifacts, "Terracotta Warriors of the First Emperor," was on display at the [[Pacific Science Center]] in Seattle, Washington, from 8 April 2017 to 4 September 2017<ref>{{cite news |last1=Upchurch |first1=Michael |title='Terracotta Warriors' exhibit makes grand entrance at Pacific Science Center |url=http://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/visual-arts/terracotta-warriors-exhibit-makes-grand-entrance-at-pacific-science-center/ |access-date=10 July 2017 |work=Seattle Times |date=7 April 2017 |archive-date=1 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701044822/http://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/visual-arts/terracotta-warriors-exhibit-makes-grand-entrance-at-pacific-science-center/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Terracotta Warriors of the First Emperor |url=https://www.pacificsciencecenter.org/terracottawarriors/ |website=Pacific Science Center |access-date=10 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170711201346/https://www.pacificsciencecenter.org/terracottawarriors/ |archive-date=11 July 2017 }}</ref> before traveling to [[The Franklin Institute]] in [[Philadelphia]], Pennsylvania, to be exhibited from 30 September 2017 to 4 March 2018 with the addition of [[augmented reality]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/planner/terracotta-warriors-franklin-institute-exhibit-philly-20170927.html |title=Why the Terracotta Warriors are so special, and how to see them in Philly |work=Philly.com |access-date=3 October 2017 |archive-date=2 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171002155659/http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/planner/terracotta-warriors-franklin-institute-exhibit-philly-20170927.html }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/29/science/china-terracotta-warriors-augmented-reality.html |title=Arming China's Terracotta Warriors – With Your Phone |last=Hurdle |first=Jon |date=29 September 2017 |work=The New York Times |access-date=3 October 2017 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=3 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171003012003/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/29/science/china-terracotta-warriors-augmented-reality.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

An exhibition entitled "China's First Emperor and the Terracotta Warriors" was at the [[World Museum]] in [[Liverpool]] from 9 February 2018 to 28 October 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/wml/index.aspx |title=World Museum, Liverpool museums |website=www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk |language=en-GB |access-date=5 January 2018 |archive-date=21 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171221220249/http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/wml/index.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>

An exhibition tour of 120 real-size replicas of Terracotta statues was displayed in the German cities of [[Frankfurt am Main]], [[Munich]], [[Oberhof, Germany|Oberhof]], [[Berlin]] (at the [[Palace of the Republic, Berlin|Palace of the Republic]]) and [[Nuremberg]] between 2003 and 2004.<ref>{{cite news |title=Einmarsch der Chinesen |url=https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/einmarsch-der-chinesen/482268.html |access-date=5 September 2019 |work=[[Der Tagesspiegel]] |date=16 January 2004 |language=de |archive-date=5 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190905084006/https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/einmarsch-der-chinesen/482268.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Tschüss Berlin! Terrakotta-Krieger des Kaisers von China ziehen weiter |url=https://www.morgenpost.de/printarchiv/berlin/article103578806/Tschuess-Berlin-Terrakotta-Krieger-des-Kaisers-von-China-ziehen-weiter.html |access-date=5 September 2019 |work=[[Berliner Morgenpost]] |agency=[[Deutsche Presse-Agentur]] |date=25 July 2004 |language=de |archive-date=5 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190905084006/https://www.morgenpost.de/printarchiv/berlin/article103578806/Tschuess-Berlin-Terrakotta-Krieger-des-Kaisers-von-China-ziehen-weiter.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Gallery==
<!--<gallery widths="140px" heights="140px" perrow="4">-->
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180px">
File:Xi'an Terracotta Army colors.jpg
File:Qin Shihuang Terracotta Sitting Figure (47471886541).jpg
File:Terracotta Army Pit 1 front rank detail.JPG
File:Terracotta Army (6143564816).jpg
File:Terracotta warriors, Xi'an, China - panoramio (14).jpg
File:Group of soldiers.jpg
File:Terracotta Army (6143540580).jpg
File:Terracota warriors 002.jpg
File:Qin bronze chariot two.jpg
File:01 terracottawarriorsgroup.jpg
File:2015-09-22-091227 - Museum der Grabanlage des Qin Shi Huangdi.jpg
File:·˙·ChinaUli2010·.· Xi'an - Terracotta Army - panoramio (34).jpg
File:51900-Terracota-Army.jpg
File:XianHorses.jpg
File:Qin_Terra_Cotta_Armored_Sleeves.jpg
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[List of World Heritage Sites in China]]
*[[Qin bronze chariot]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{Cite book |last=Clements |first=Jonathan |url={{google books|plainurl=y|id=6_U3HQAACAAJ}} |title=The First Emperor of China |date=2007 |publisher=[[Sutton Publishing|Sutton]] |isbn=978-0-7509-3960-7 |location=Stroud}}
* {{Cite book |last=Debaine-Francfort |first=Corinne |author-link=Corinne Debaine-Francfort |url={{google books|plainurl=y|id=8W6jQgAACAAJ}} |title=The Search for Ancient China |publisher=[[Thames & Hudson]] |year=1999 |isbn=978-0-500-30095-4 |series='[[Découvertes Gallimard|New Horizons]]' series |location=London}}
* {{Cite book |last=Dillon |first=Michael |url=https://archive.org/details/chinahistoricalc0000unse |title=China: A Historical and Cultural Dictionary |publisher=Curzon |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-7007-0439-2 |series=Durham East Asia series |location=Richmond, Surrey |url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite book |last=Portal |first=Jane |url={{google books|plainurl=y|id=DWRTFl36nksC}} |title=The First Emperor: China's Terracotta Army |publisher=[[Harvard University Press]] |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-674-02697-1 |location=Cambridge}}
* {{Cite book |last=Ledderose |first=Lothar |title=Ten Thousand Things: Module and Mass Production in Chinese Art |publisher=[[Princeton University Press]] |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-691-00957-5 |series=The A.W. Mellon Lectures in the Fine Arts |location=Princeton, NJ |chapter=A Magic Army for the Emperor |chapter-url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/6694321/LedderoseA-Magic-Army-for-the-Emperor |archive-date=10 November 2013 |access-date=15 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110144637/http://www.scribd.com/doc/6694321/LedderoseA-Magic-Army-for-the-Emperor }}
* {{Cite book |last=Perkins |first=Dorothy |url={{google books|plainurl=y|id=aUuVQAAACAAJ}} |title=Encyclopedia of China: The Essential Reference to China, Its History and Culture |publisher=[[Facts On File]] |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-8160-4374-3 |location=New York}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Terracotta Army}}
*[https://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31&id_site=441 UNESCO description of the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/19981111184645/http://www.bmy.com.cn/ Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum (official website)]
*[http://english.people.com.cn/200507/09/eng20050709_195157.html ''People's Daily'' article on the Terracotta Army]
*[http://osgfilms.com/terracotta-warriors-at-discovery-times-square/ OSGFilms Video Article : Terracotta Warriors at Discovery Times Square]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DD8dvqorR9k Tomb of the First Emperor of China] by Professor Anthony Barbieri, UCSB
*[https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/video/emperors-ghost-army/ Emperor's Ghost Army PBS Nova]
*[https://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/chinas-terracotta-warriors-about-this-episode/812/ China's Terracotta Warriors] Documentary produced by the [[PBS]] Series ''[[Secrets of the Dead]]''

{{Xi'an}}
{{World Heritage Sites in China}}
{{Shaanxi topics}}
{{Qin dynasty topics}}
{{Sculptures}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:3rd-century BC sculptures]]
[[Category:1974 archaeological discoveries]]
[[Category:1974 in China]]
[[Category:Archaeological discoveries in China]]
[[Category:Infantry units and formations]]
[[Category:Military and war museums in China]]
[[Category:Archaeological museums in China]]
[[Category:Qin dynasty]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in China]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Xi'an]]
[[Category:Terracotta sculptures]]
[[Category:Museums in Xi'an]]
[[Category:AAAAA-rated tourist attractions]]
[[Category:Military art]]
[[Category:Funerary art]]
[[Category:Qin Shi Huang]]
[[Category:National first-grade museums of China]]
[[Category:Sculptures of horses]]