Terracotta Army in Xi’an: History
Historian Sima Qian, who lived from 145 to 90 BCE, wrote about the construction of the tomb in his book “Records of the Grand Historian.” This book is the first of China’s 24 dynastic histories and was written about a century after the tomb was finished.
The building of the tomb started in 246 BCE, right after Emperor Qin became king at the age of 13, following his father. Around 700,000 workers were forced to work on the project.
Geographer Li Daoyuan, who wrote about six hundred years after the emperor’s death, said that Mount Li was chosen as the tomb’s location because it was rich in jade and gold. According to Li Daoyuan, the emperor wanted to be buried there because of the mountain’s good reputation.
Sima Qian wrote that the emperor’s tomb contained palaces, towers, important people, valuable items, and many other amazing things. He mentioned that there were simulated rivers made of mercury, and the ceiling was decorated with stars and other heavenly bodies.
Some translations of his writings mention “models” or “imitations,” but these words were not in the original text. Sima Qian didn’t talk about the terracotta army in his writings, but high levels of mercury were found in the soil around the tomb, which supports his description.
There are stories from later on that say Xiang Yu, who wanted to be emperor after the first emperor died, looted the tomb. However, there’s evidence that suggests the tomb might not have been robbed.
Also Read: Where are the Terracotta Warriors Located?
Terracotta Army in Xi’an
The Terracotta Army isn’t just a popular attraction in Xi’an, it’s also one of the most well-known archaeological discoveries globally. This underground army, made of life-size figures numbering in the thousands, has been silently watching over the first unifier of China for over 2,000 years.
There are different theories about why Qin Shi Huang built this army. Some think he was afraid of the enemies he defeated coming after him in the afterlife, while most archaeologists believe he wanted his authority to continue even after he died.
In this article, we will study the Terracotta Army in Xi’an.