The Terracotta Army

There are many man made wonders on Earth, but one of the must stunning is the Terracotta Soldiers in China. The Terracotta Soldiers were found in the tomb of China’s first emperor, Qin Shihuang. The Terracotta Soldiers were found my Chinese peasants who were digging out a well. But instead of water, they struck something much more fascinating.

According to historians, this magnificent tomb took 7,000 workers to construct and the Emperor was buried with his officials, jewelry, war horses, and many more. In this tomb there were 100 rivers crafted out of mercury and many pyramids.

What fascinates me the most is the fact that each Terracotta Soldier was crafted and designed to look exactly like an actual soldier. Not one of the Terracotta figures looks exactly like another one. Some of these figures were actually covering real bodies inside so that the facial detail would be exact. These Terracotta Soldiers are known as “Qin’s Army”. In legend, it is said that these Terracotta Soldiers would protect their emperor onto the next life.

Scientists have found evidence that states that some wooden figures that were once in the tomb, were burned and raided. Historians believe that the fire was caused by General Xiang Yu during his raid of the tomb. This raid occurred just 5 years after the death of Emperor Qing Shihuang. Historians believe that Xiang Yu looted the tomb with his men and then set a fire there to destroy the figures. The fire then burned for 3 months until it finally ceased. The wooden figure left is a figure of an archer kneeling.

Despite the destruction caused by the fire, most of the figures are still left in perfect condition. Now the figures suffers decay and mold. Today, the legendary tomb of the first emperor of China is a popular tourist attraction. People from all over go to China to visit the legendary Terracotta Army!