Today we drove about an hour south east to see the Terracotta Warriors. The trees were all blooming and things were much greener here.
1974 a farmer discovered some terracotta pottery and ancient bronze weapons when he was digging a well. An archaeological team uncovered over 8,000 clay soldiers and horses in large pits under the ground. In 247 BC, the first Emperor of China, QinShiHuangDi ordered these life sized clay statues to be created so when he died they would be part of his burial. They think the Emperor ordered all of this to be started when he was only 13 years old.
Each statue has detailed art work carved into the clay. Even their faces are unique. Some look young and some were even made to have wrinkles. Weapons were also buried in the pits with the soldiers. They are still digging pieces up and putting them together. The builders also used color on the warriors but when the clay is dug up and the air and light hits them the colors fade. There was only one soldier out of the 8,000 that was completely intact.
CoulsonFamily 