Terracotta army of China. Terracotta Army Qin Shihuandi

Qin Shihuandi, who was the ruler of the Qin kingdom, was the first in the world to form a centralized power structure. In order to strengthen the integrity of the state, various major transformations were made to it. During his reign, the construction of the Chinese Wall, the national road network , was started. In addition, he banned Confucianism, announced the burning of all books not allowed by the government.

A Brief Historical Reference

Born Qin Shihuandi in 259 BC. In the first month of the Chinese calendar year. In this regard, he was given the name Zheng, which means "first." The birthplace of the ruler was Handan. There his father was a hostage, and his mother was a concubine. Qin Shihuandi initiated a wide construction activities. In all cities of the empire, palaces and temples were erected, so, 270 palaces were built in the vicinity of Chang'an. The rooms in them were all decorated with canopies and curtains. Everywhere there lived the most beautiful concubines. In addition to the closest people to the ruler, no one knew where he was at one time or another. Qin Shihuandi died in 210 BC. E. (In 48 years). He was buried in one of the forty-meter burial mounds, but his remains have not been found to this day, since excavations on this territory have been banned for some time.

Terracotta Army of China

Long before his death, the ruler began the construction of a luxurious, huge funeral complex in Lishan Mountain. The erection of the structure lasted for thirty-eight years. During the archaeological excavations it was revealed that this complex has the shape of a square. The length of the structure is 350 meters from south to north. The length from the east to the west is 345 m. The memorial has a height of 76 meters. The total area of the funerary complex is 56 square meters. Km. Three monumental crypts were found on the territory of the memorial. In them, and buried the terracotta army, the fighting cavalry, recreating the present army. It was manned according to all the state rules of that time.

The Mystery of the Terracotta Army

The burial figures, which were underground for more than two millennia, were discovered accidentally in March 1974. At that time, the peasants unearthed the well and stumbled upon the figures of horses and soldiers in human growth. And there were several thousand of them. This was the same terracotta army of the emperor, buried next to him. She had to fight for her ruler and in the realm of death. Qin Shihuandi believed that he would rule his state even from the afterlife. But he, as he believed, was indispensable for soldiers. Therefore, a terracotta army was created. First the ruler was going to bury four thousand young soldiers with him. But the advisers could convince him not to do so. Living people were to replace clay statues. It was assumed that the souls of all the deceased in the battles of the soldiers would move in them. At least there is such a tradition. But for greater reliability it was decided to increase the number of defenders of the ruler by half, that is, there were 8 thousand.

What did the statues look like?

The army of terracotta warriors was like real. All the statues were executed with amazing diligence and jeweler precision. There are no identical figures among the figures. The faces of soldiers show the multinationality of the middle state. So, China's terracotta army consisted not only of the country's inhabitants themselves. Among the soldiers were the Mongols, and the Tibetans, and the Uighurs, and representatives of other nationalities. Each piece of clothing was made in accordance with that period. Armor, shoes are reproduced according to the fashion of the time with astonishing accuracy.

Galleries

First, before the eyes of the audience is a hall of 210 x 60 meters. It was laid at a depth of 4.9 m. Here there are about 6 thousand infantrymen. There are statues in 11 parallel corridors. Ahead of the horsemen there are battle chariots, which are harnessed by horses. Unlike clay human and horse figures, the chariots were originally made of wood. That's why there is practically nothing left of them. Infantrymen, located around them, are armed with bamboo six-meter spears, using which the soldiers blocked their enemies to the road to the horses. On two chariots were once placed signaling drums and bells, fighting in which orders were given and the direction of the attack was determined. In the northern and eastern corridors are also located soldiers guarding the approaches from the flanks to the main parts. They, like most of the infantry, have no shields. The fact is that the terracotta army of Qin Shihuandi consisted only of fearless and strong soldiers who, fearing death, wore no shields or armor. On the heads of the officers, as a rule, were hats, and ordinary soldiers - false hair in the form of beams. In the 2nd hall there are about 1400 figures of horses and soldiers. The second gallery is located about twenty meters from the first. The soldiers of the 2nd hall are significantly different from those that were in the first. In the third gallery there are only 68 figures. Presumably, these are staff officers and batmen.

How were the figures made?

Technology tended first trunk. From below the statue was monolithic and massive, respectively. It is on this lower part that the whole center of gravity falls. Above, the body is hollow. After the body was burned, hands and a head were attached to it. In conclusion, the sculptor sculpted his face, covering his head with a thin additional layer of clay. Each soldier had his own individual expression. Very accurately conveyed and the hairstyle of each warrior. At that time, the hair was the subject of increased attention. Figures were fired for several days with a constantly maintained temperature of not less than a thousand degrees. Thanks to this prolonged firing, the clay, hardening, became like granite. After that, the best artists put paint on the statues. It should be said that the terracotta army was painted in natural colors. But for two millennia of paint, all the same, they became faded, and in some places they disappeared completely.

Other finds

The chariots found in the funeral complex of bronze with horses harnessed in them were the most popular vehicle used by the ruler, the staff of the courtiers and concubines. Among the found items should also be noted weapons, linen and silk products and so on. Excellent preserved swords. Their blades were still as sharp as they were in those old times, and it's impossible to touch them with a bare hand - there's just a cut. Eleven corridors of the main hall are separated by thick walls. The ancient masters laid out the entire tree trunks, which were covered with mats. Above this was covered with a thirty-centimeter layer of cement. Three meters of land was laid on it. This all had to provide reliable protection to the deceased ruler in the realm of the living. But, unfortunately, the calculation failed.

Peasant uprising

A few years after the death of his ruler, the Chinese terracotta army was defeated. On the throne ascended his son Er. Inept actions of the heir have caused a flurry of popular discontent. A peasant rebellion broke out-an uprising that the advisers of the ruler feared so much. There was no one to suppress the discontent of the people: Er Shihuandi was weak-willed and weak. Indignant insurgents looted, and then burned the still army. It should be said that these actions were not so much an act of vandalism as a practical solution of the rebels. The fact is that before his death, the first ruler ordered the destruction of all existing weapons, in addition to what the soldiers of the terracotta army were supposed to have. As a result, there was no weapon in the state, but 8 thousand excellent sets of new bows, arrows, swords, spears, shields were buried underground. As a result, the rebels, seizing weapons from the army of the first emperor, broke government troops. The worthless young heir to the throne was killed by his courtiers.

Conclusion

For many centuries various attempts were made to find treasures in the funeral complex, a great number of expeditions were undertaken. And involved in them as researchers-archaeologists, and simple robbers. It should be said that many paid for these attempts with their lives. According to eyewitnesses, human skeletons are found among the excavations. Today many values have changed. For example, clay, from which the walls are made, can be comparable in price to gold. One brick from that ancient era costs several tens of thousands of dollars.