The Qin Shi Huang Terracotta Army. The Terracotta Army - the immortal retinue of the Emperor The Terracotta Army of the Qin Emperor

A special stamp was put on each part, which showed which workshop made it. If a marriage came across, it was immediately clear who was to blame and who to punish. Considering the temper of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, most likely, the first defective part was the last for the master.

All this you can see with your own eyes if you visit this burial complex in the city of Xi'an.

Terracotta Soldier Weapons

Although the soldiers were made of clay, they were given the most real weapons in their hands. Unfortunately, few weapons survived. First, the burial complex was plundered several times. Secondly, the metal is preserved much worse than ceramics, and many objects have completely rotted.

But even a small amount of weapons has given scientists many reasons to wonder. For example, arrowheads manufactured in different parts China were almost the same size. That is, already in the 3rd century BC. the Chinese introduced unification in the production of weapons. This is amazing.

Thanks to the Terracotta Army, we now have a very good idea of ​​how the soldiers of that time were equipped, what weapons they fought with, how they formed on the battlefield and what tactics they followed.

Where to see the Terracotta Army

Almost all the soldiers are found where they were excavated by archaeologists. Place archaeological site located 10 kilometers from the city of Siyan. This is enough Big City with a population of 8.5 million. here from Russia you can, but only from Moscow. There are few tourists who choose Xi'an as the main travel destination, although there are many attractions in the city.

If desired, you can get here from to. You will cover the distance of 1200 kilometers in 6 hours. Some even try to look at the Terracotta Army “one day”, that is, arrive in the morning “speed car” and leave in the evening.

We do not recommend this method. The first high-speed train (pictured on the left) arrives from Beijing to Xi'an Station at 13-00, and the last one leaves at 18-00. You will have only 5 hours, and this will only be enough to look at the Terracotta Army with one eye.

In addition, it is an expensive way to travel, as a one-way ticket costs 500 (at the time of writing, May 2015). In both directions, it turns out about 1000 yuan per person.

Tickets for a regular train in a compartment are half the price, but you will spend 14 hours on the train one way, for a total of 28 hours. Such a waste of time is unacceptable for many tourists.

There is the most budgetary way - it is to buy seats on a regular train. If you are not afraid to sit in an uncomfortable chair for 14 hours, then such a ticket will cost you only 150 yuan one way.

We believe that it is worth flying to Xi'an as the main destination of the trip. The city is beautiful, you will not regret it. And look at the Terracotta Army slowly, and see the mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, and much more interesting things.

If you do not want to go to Xi'an, but really want to see the Terracotta Army, then there is a compromise solution. These clay soldiers can be viewed in the country's museums. They are on permanent display in Beijing at.

The terracotta army in China became a great discovery for scientists - archaeologists, at the same time bringing a lot of new facts and mysteries from distant times. Ancient times keep many secrets and secrets. Sometimes plunging into secrets the ancient world, archaeologists find interesting artifacts that open their eyes to some things, or vice versa, they get even more confused in their guesses.

Terracotta army - what is it?

Qin Shi Huang Ti () ascended the throne as a boy. He began to rule the empire at the age of thirteen. Qin Shi Huang Ti was the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty, he was ambitious and power-hungry, but was a brutal ruler, and often resorted to the use of force. At the beginning of his reign (from 246 BC), he began to build a tomb for himself, preparing in advance for the afterlife. Construction took thirty-eight years. At his behest, it was ordered to build an army of clay warriors, whose mission is to protect the emperor in the kingdom of the dead and to help govern the country after death. For this purpose, a Chinese terracotta army was made, buried in 210 BC together with the deceased ruler not far from his tomb.

Terracotta is red or orange clay, which gave the name to the army. They are made at natural human height. Qin Shi Huang Ti was the first to order to bury the clay army with him, those who ruled before him ordered to bury the army of living people with them. Although initially the ruler wanted to be with him, after his death four thousand young soldiers were buried. Why did he not order the young soldiers to be buried with him? Because, the closest circle of the emperor dissuaded him from this venture.

The bodies of seventy thousand workers, with families and forty-eight concubines of the emperor of the Qin dynasty were found during the excavations. Scientists have provided facts that they were all buried alive. Probably it was decided to bury them alive, to keep the secret about the creation of the army. "

Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Terracotta Army

None of the warriors of the emperor's terracotta army are alike. Each has his own uniform, each is armed with his own weapon, and the faces are not the same. One of the warriors is standing, another is pulling the bowstring, the third is standing with a sword, preparing to attack. The army was divided both by rank and by type of troops. Attended by:

• infantrymen;
• mounted warriors;
• archers.

You can also distinguish between officers and ordinary soldiers. The size of the army is striking in its scale, more than eight thousand soldiers are sculpted to protect the emperor in the afterlife.

Together with the clay warriors, several tens of thousands of swords, shields, spears made of bronze were buried. Presumably, the terracotta army does not have a real weapon, only a few have survived to this day. After the death of the emperor, four years later, there was an uprising in the country, and the crypts with the soldiers were opened, the people disassembled their weapons, and later they made models for the army.

Life-size horses were also found. Several bronze chariots, according to the plan of the Chinese, all this was to be useful to the ruler after death.

Each soldier weighs approximately one hundred and thirty-five kilograms, horses weigh two hundred kilograms. All of them were located near the tomb of the emperor. The army was painted in bright colors, but after centuries the paint faded. Among the terracotta warriors there are:

• Chinese;
• Mongols;
• Uyghur and other nationalities.

Clothes and hairstyles are made in the spirit of that time

The army stands in orderly ranks in the crypts, ready to attack. The burials are located at a depth of four to eight meters at a distance of about one and a half kilometers from the tomb of the emperor.

“After a long time, the weapon did not fade or dull. Scientists have found chromium in the alloy from which the weapon was made. But before the discovery of chromium there was still not a single century. "

Excavations

The Terracotta Army was found in 1974 near the capital Ancient China-. Near the necropolis of Emperor Qin Shi Huang.

“The story goes that while the peasants were digging the well, they found a statue of a warrior in natural human growth, and with it a horse, also in full size. Archaeologists were invited to the place of discovery, this was the beginning of the army's excavations. "

The excavations took place in more than one stage:

Stage I was from 1978 to 1984. In addition to the army itself, a chariot was unearthed near the burial complex, which in itself can be considered a work of art. It is made of bronze and consists of more than three hundred elements. It is decorated with carved figures of animals and the Phoenix bird. The chariot is pulled by four horses. Chariot and harness elements contain gold and silver.

Stage II of the excavation was from 1985 to 1986. In 2000, statues of musicians, acrobats and some officials, as well as chroniclers were found nearby. Apparently, they were created to amuse the ruler and to help in state affairs in the Kingdom of the Dead.

Stage III of the excavation began in June 2009 and has not been completed until today. Now another five hundred figures of terracotta soldiers, one hundred figures of horses and almost two dozen chariots have been brought to the surface. The burial of the emperor himself remains unopened. From the studied chronicles, it becomes clear that a huge amount of jewels rests with the ruler.

The excavations are progressing so slowly, not because there is no funding, but because the Chinese are very sensitive to the memory of their ancestors. They are afraid to defile the memory of the emperor with their impious touch.

How was created

The date of the creation of the army from terracotta clay determines the date of the emperor's funeral - it is 210 BC. Qin Shi Huang's tomb is located on Lishan Mountain, near the city of Xi'an. But only some of the figures are made of clay taken from Lishan. Basically, horses were sculpted from material taken from the mountain. Because the weight of the horse statue is two hundred kilograms, the weight of a human sculpture is about one hundred and thirty-five kilograms, and it was problematic to bring the figures of horses from other parts of China. But human figures were made by artisans in different regions of the state. Each master put his own personal seal on the statue of a soldier. Scientists have distinguished more than seventy so-called seals.

Scientists from Chinese Institute botanists tried to find out where the rest of the statues were brought from. They studied the pollen found in statues with samples from different regions of China, but they did not find out where the figures of the warriors were brought from.

The figure of the warrior is hollow, except for the legs, they are solid, otherwise the army would not have reached our days. First, the legs were molded, and then the body was hoisted on them. According to scientists, after giving the body the desired shape, it was fired, after firing, the arms and head were attached to the body. To create a face, an additional layer of clay was applied to the head, and the sculptor sculpted the face with pinpoint precision. The soldier's hairstyle was accurately conveyed, because in those days it was very important. Presumably every face was copied from a living person.

Then the figures were burned long time at a constant temperature of a thousand degrees. With such a long firing, the clay acquired the hardness of granite. Then the statue of the warrior was painted in natural colors. The photo shows that a trace was molded on the soles of the shoes. The army was once very beautiful, but as the years passed, the paint faded. But some have not yet lost their color.

The way in which the figures were fired remains interesting. Not a single kiln was found near the crypt, and besides, the number of statues is huge, in those days the Chinese did not have the technology for firing such a number of products. Why did the archaeologists not find the stoves next to the mausoleum, perhaps because the statues were brought from other places. Or maybe the stoves were dismantled so as not to interfere with the terracotta warriors to guard His Majesty.

The burial complex is striking in its size, the outer perimeter of the wall is equal to six thousand meters.

“It is known that the emperor was constantly looking for the elixir of immortality all his life. From the chronicles, scientists learned that the Chinese ruler ordered eight thousand of his subordinates to find him a magic potion. While they were looking, Qin Shi Huang decided to take mercury pills. Perhaps they were the cause of his death at the age of fifty. "

Popularity and value

In the eighties of the twentieth century, Specialized institution Unesco has included the Terracotta Army on the World Heritage List.

Since then, everyone who comes on an excursion to China has been trying to visit the attraction. Or it happens nearby in the city of Xi'an.

High-ranking officials of other states who make a business visit to the country are no exception. Two presidents of the United States, the Chancellor of Germany, the Queen of Great Britain, the King of Belgium, one of the presidents of Ukraine and the President of the Republic of Korea, got acquainted with the exposition.

The president Russian Federation Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin visited the Terracotta Army in 2004.

Where is

Most of the soldiers of the terracotta army are in the place where they were found. It is ten kilometers from Xi'an city, close to Lishan Mountain. To protect the crypts with soldiers from natural disasters a gable hangar was erected over the location of the soldiers, it also serves as a museum, for a small fee, in it you can take a photo of the terracotta army.

You can get to the terracotta army from Beijing or Shanghai. You can fly to Xi'an, and from there you can already get to your destination by bus.

Conclusion

The terracotta army of China can rightfully be called the wonder of the world. Thirty-eight years and tens of thousands of human lives were spent on its creation. Qin Shi Huang's own tomb has never been opened. Some scholars suggest that all this is the appearance of a tomb, the real resting place of the emperor is not here. Studying history, archaeologists know that together with the emperor, untold riches were buried. But with him rests the secret of the terracotta army, the creation of which remains a mystery to this day. Excavations will continue for more than one decade.

To the east of Xi'an, in the Shaanxi province, there is a military garrison of many thousands; this is a wonder of the world known as the Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. The underground burials contain at least 8,099 terracotta statues of Chinese warriors and their horses. They were honored to be buried together with the first emperor of Qin - Qin Shi Huang in 210-209. BC

In the Xi'an district, Chinese farmers have long found clay shards, but they were afraid to touch them, let alone pick them up, as they believed that strange shards are magic amulets - the source of various troubles. But already in 1974 everything was explained.

One day, the farmer Yan Ji Wang began to dig a well on his plot of land. He did not find water, but he found something else. Yan Ji Wang stumbled upon a figure ancient warrior at a depth of 5 meters. The find of the farmer shocked archaeologists. and subsequent excavations showed that she was not alone here. Several thousand warriors have been discovered by scientists. Terracotta soldiers have been buried in the ground for over 2,000 years since the death of the famous unifier of China, Qin Shi Huang.

Mount Lishan is a man-made Chinese necropolis. The material for the terracotta warriors was taken here.

The construction of the terracotta army began in 247 BC. e., more than 700,000 artisans and workers took part in their construction, and, as art historians assume, it took 38 years. Qin Shi Huang was interred in 201 BC. e. According to the assumption of the Chinese historian Sima Qianyu, jewelry and artisan products were also buried with him.

Horses and warriors of the Terracotta Army in China were created in different areas. Scientists have found out that the horses were made near Lishan Mountain, most likely to facilitate their transportation (the weight of the horse is about 200 kg.), The figures of the warriors are much lighter, about 135 kg., But the place of their creation is still unknown.
Later, on the site of a grandiose find, a city arose. Three pavilions protect the terracotta burial army from bad weather and vandalism. The excavations of the terracotta horde have been going on for about 40 years, but their end is not expected.

Terracotta is yellow or red clay that has been fired at a constant temperature of at least 1000 degrees for several days.

Yang Ji Wang found Qin Shi Huang's first, main battle row, which contains approximately 6,000 terracotta figures. In 1980, archaeologists unearthed a second column of 2,000 statues. Later, in 1994, the General Staff was discovered - an accumulation of top military commanders.

About 700,000 craftsmen were involved in the creation of the imperial army. But why did the ancient Chinese need to spend energy and money to create this grandiose composition? And what other secrets does the land of this area keep?

The prolonged bloody period of the seven rival kingdoms ended with the unconditional victory of the Qin dynasty. The young and ambitious ruler Yin Ren subdued all the kingdoms one after another. Their capitals Zhao, Han, Wei, Yin, Chun and Qi were leveled to the ground. For the first time in history, China has achieved unity. Qin Shi Huang appointed himself emperor and immediately moved on to reforms and consolidation of power. He got down to business with the inherent sophistication and scope of a tyrant.

He set himself the goal of eliminating any possibility of China's fragmentation and civil strife in the future. The Chinese Empire was divided into 36 districts; two governors (civilian and military) were appointed in each district. The emperor tightened all standards: it concerned money, measures of length and weight, writing, construction, and even the width of the axle for carts. The standard set in the Qin kingdom served as a model.

The previous history of China was declared to be of little relevance. In 213 BC. books and ancient annals of the defeated dynasties were set on fire. More than 460 scientists were subjected to execution, who were suspected of disloyalty to the new imperial regime.

Rich and misterious story China, thousands of years old, reveals its secrets to humanity. One of these mysteries is terracotta army in china, which is considered by many to be among the eight wonders of the world.

The cruel and ambitious ruler Qin Shi Huang, known in history as the unifier of the lands, declared himself the first emperor of the Qin empire. Many reforms are associated with it, aimed at establishing unconditional power. For example, he established territorial districts, introduced a unified standardization of measuring weights and length, writing, construction, and even the width of the axis of carts. In an effort to strengthen the power and make it eternal, even after death, the emperor wanted to have a powerful army at his disposal. He ordered to bury about 4 thousand young soldiers with him. And according to legend, only the inevitability of the outbreak of riots forced the emperor to abandon this idea. The warriors were replaced with clay figurines, and their number was doubled for reliability. The army was deployed to the East, since from this side the ruler felt a danger to the Qin empire. So together with the emperor, in 210-209. BC. a whole army was buried, which numbers about 8100 warriors made of terracotta clay with uniforms and horses.

About the history of excavations

Where is the terracotta army in China? Near the city of Xi'an in the Shengxi province, peasants came across many clay shards. It was believed that such finds bring misfortune. In 1974, while digging a well, the farmer Yan Ji Wang discovered the first clay warrior figure. This was the beginning of a grandiose excavation.

Very soon, scientists realized that a whole army was opening up in front of them, which has a history of two thousand years. Excavations of this unique "dead army" have been going on for several decades, but much still remains hidden, and the mystery has not been fully solved.

Terracotta army in China located on several tiers. In 1974 the first tier was opened. The vanguard of the army has about 6 thousand figures of warriors. Ten years later, the second tier was uncovered with 2 thousand clay warriors. A decade later, the army headquarters was discovered, which consisted of figures from the highest military leadership. A little later, statues of musicians, officials, acrobats were opened. Since 2009 began newest stage these grandiose excavations, which discovered more than 600 different clay statues.

Army sculptures

Legend says that about 48 concubines and 70 thousand artisans who made the figures were buried together with the emperor. Archaeologists have discovered many graves located near the main burial ground. But the most amazing find is the army, consisting of 8 thousand soldiers of infantry, archers and horsemen, which was hidden under the thickness of the earth.

The amazing terracotta warriors had their own characteristics:

• The growth of figures is from 1.78 to 2.01 m, which does not correspond to the growth real people that time.
• The leading officers in terms of growth surpass the rank and file soldiers.
• All army soldiers are deployed in battle formations. For example, archers are on one knee, which eliminates possible interference with the shooting of the second row of soldiers. This makes it possible to evaluate the military tactical science of the time.
• Each pose and face of the warriors is different from each other. No warrior is the same. This suggests that the living warriors of the Emperor Tsin served in kind for the clay army.
• It is interesting that the clay figurines were depicted not only by the Chinese by nationality. Among them there are Tibetan and Mongolian types of faces.
• The figures are reproduced with meticulous precision in detail. Clothes, hairstyles, armor, shoes - everything corresponds to that time.
• After the sculptures were made, they were fired in ovens at temperatures over 1000 degrees. Further, all the figures were painted in natural colors, the remains of which are still partially preserved.
• The main body of the warriors has 11 passages, which are separated by walls. From above, the rows were covered with tree trunks, covered with mats and a 30 cm layer of cement. All this was covered with a layer of earth of 3 meters.

During the excavation, archaeologists were faced with a difficult task. When removed from the ground, the paint that covered the figures for 5 minutes. dried up, began to burst and crumble. But the task of conservation was found. The figures were placed in a reservoir with a certain humidity, covered with a special solution, and irradiated. Thereby, terracotta army in china has been preserved in its original form. In 1987, the army of Emperor Qin was included in the specially protected facilities of UNKSCO.

When visiting China, along with the Great Wall of China and the Shaolin Monastery, the museum in Xi'an is not to be missed. A grandiose spectacle will appear before you - a huge amia of ancient warriors with weapons, horsemen on chariots, skillfully molded by the ancient masters of China.

The Terracotta Army, executed as an imitation of the original army of the time, is housed in three crypts. It consists of warriors of various ranks and types of troops, as well as horses. For its manufacture, however, templates were used (except for individually worked faces), but their variety is great. There are soldiers without shells in jackets up to their knees and there are - in plate armor of various types. Most warriors wear light hats with their hair pulled into a knot, while others wear folded or double-toothed headdresses. Archers drop to one knee or stand upright. Horses are usually designed for foursled teams; however, the military carts were made of wood and burned down, leaving only imprints in the clay. In addition, there are also cavalry horses. Warrior boots also come in different shapes; warriors stand on a stand that gives them stability. All the statues were painted at one time. Initially, the bronze weapons given to them were mostly stolen during the destruction of the tomb, but in some places they have survived to this day. The bottom of the crypts is paved; the intermediate walls of adobe carried a wooden roof, which was covered with dug earth on top.

Only a small part of the statues has been brought to the surface and restored. Things are progressing slowly. First, it is difficult to combine fragments scattered far from each other, since their edges are indistinct. Secondly, it is difficult to install the statues: often the debris cannot withstand the weight load, so you have to build an internal support corset into them. And, thirdly, the restorers have learned from the mistakes of the past, when the excavations were carried out too quickly and due attention was not paid, in particular, to the conservation of paint residues. Those stick to the ground surrounding the figure. Re-fixing them on the surface of the statues can only be done through a very laborious process.

The purpose

The Terracotta Army was created to serve Emperor Qin Shihuang in the afterlife. The Emperor took care in advance to build himself a worthy tomb and provide a luxurious afterlife. This emperor was very powerful, it was he who was able to unite the scattered Chinese kingdoms into one powerful state. Under him, finally, all parts of the Chinese Wall began to defend one country.

Qin Shihuan was a very domineering emperor, and this is not surprising, because then he would not have been able to unite all of China. However, in his old age, the Emperor seriously thought about how to live longer, and ideally, eternity. He was looking for the elixir of immortality, equipping expeditions designed to gain knowledge in this area. He even used mercury, as he believed that it could prolong his life.

But, apparently, the emperor, nevertheless, did not completely believe that he would be able to find the elixir of immortality, so he decided to build a huge necropolis, his own tomb, equipped with everything he needed in the afterlife. Even there, he set out to be a conqueror and assert his power in that world. In order to win victories in the afterlife, he needed an army. However, at the end of his life, the emperor logically understood that if several thousand soldiers were killed at once, the people would rebel, and there would be no one to defend the country, so he did not take this step, but decided to create a terracotta army.

But don't think that it was done out of the kindness of your heart. Although Qin Shihuan saved the lives of the soldiers, his concubines and several thousand workers with their families were killed with him. But the terracotta statues have become exact replicas of living soldiers. Each ceramic statue has its own facial features, facial expressions, character. This is exactly what surprises scientists, because it was believed that with the technologies of that time it was impossible to create something like that.

Story

Nobody thought that something like this could be found in Xi'an province. This burial was found by chance. An ordinary peasant was doing earthworks in this place, and then suddenly came across a statue of a warrior. After that, the find was reported and archaeologists arrived here, who only eventually realized the significance of the event. The Terracotta Army was discovered in 1974, but archaeological work is still ongoing.

The main work fell on 1978-1984, the second period of excavation fell on 1985-1986. And only in 2009 the third stage began. For a long time, archaeologists did not dare to continue work, because due to imperfection of tools and technologies, they feared damage to valuable exhibits. In addition, according to legends, Emperor Qin Shi Huang ordered to build a very large-scale necropolis, in which rivers should even flow. Moreover, these rivers were filled not with water, but with mercury. In this case, if archaeologists without proper preparation find something like this, then people may suffer or the action of the man-made rivers themselves will be disrupted.

Crypt 1

Crypt 1, covered with a vaulted roof, such as are found at railway stations, is 230 m long and 62 m wide; he is the biggest. Here you can get the best idea of ​​the original placement of the statues; Nine columns of infantry are visible with a vanguard of three echelons, as well as flank defenses on the left and right. On the intermediate walls, you can see the imprints of the wooden beams that once carried the ceiling.

Crypts 2 and 3

Crypt 2 in the shape of an inverted "L" is located to the north of crypt 1. It contains about ninety horse teams-four-rock, as well as, again, infantry (archers) and cavalry, with the riders standing in front of their horses. The process of excavation of the Terracotta Army is especially well traced here. Perhaps the most interesting thing is the exhibition area in the north of the hall, where figures, weapons, etc. can be observed up close. Crypt 3, the smallest, is located to the west of crypt 2. It has the shape of a horseshoe and represents the commanding staff of the army.

Museum

In a large building to the right of the entrance, there are some items found during excavations in the burial mound. The most remarkable exhibits are two bronze teams of four - a covered carriage and an open military chariot with a canopy. Both were fractured under the pressure of the earth and then reassembled from more than a thousand pieces of debris. True, the exceptional abundance of details - ornamentation, weapons, bridle, chains, a vessel for food - is revealed only in illustrated volumes dedicated to the Terracotta Army and specially bronze chariots.

Cinema and shopping halls

To the south of Crypt 1 is a panoramic cinema, which constantly repeats a short film about the rise and later oblivion of the Terracotta Army. The creation of an army, the subsequent rebellion and devastation are clearly and dramatically shown in the genre of fiction films. To the west of the crypts, the service center houses a restaurant and shopping malls. There every day for several hours a fairly aged peasant sits, who at one time began drilling a well and to whom we owe the opening of the clay army, and signs autographs on books.

Puzzles

The Terracotta Army has posed several mysteries to scientists. Most of all they are interested in where and how the statues were created. It is already known that they all came from different parts of China, only horses weighing more than 200 kg were created next to the tomb. This territorial distribution meant that in each region there had to be special large-sized furnaces in which the statues could be fired. But no such structures were found. In addition, there was the problem of transporting the statues, it is still not clear exactly how the ancient Chinese coped with this.

Another question that interests scientists is how the weapons that the soldiers of the terracotta army have at their disposal can still remain as sharp? Each soldier owns his own weapon. It can be a spear, crossbow or sword. All these weapons can be used in battle even today, if the emperor calls up his army again.