Terracotta Army FAQ

1. How was the Terracotta Warriors discovered?

It is generally believed that farmers in the village of Xi Yang in Lintong in 1974 when they were drilling a well discovered the Terracotta Warrior. However, archaeological excavations have shown that there were many previous opportunities for people to encounter pieces of the Terracotta Warriors in various forms, but not to realize that they were Terracotta Warriors. The discovery of the Terracotta Warriors in the true sense of the word came when archaeologists put the pieces together into terracotta figurines and realized that they were the army that accompanied the tomb of Qin Shi Huang.

2. When were the Terracotta Warriors built?

The Terracotta Warriors and Horses burial pits were built between the time the First Emperor unified the Six Kingdoms (221 BC) and the time he was buried in his tomb (210 BC), so 2229 to 2240 years ago.

3. Was the Qin Shi Huang mausoleum burned or illegally excavated?

There are documented accounts of the burning and illegal excavation of the tomb of Qin Shi Huang. Current archaeological findings indicate that the entire tomb of Qin Shi Huang was in fact the remains of a big fire and that a large number of burial pits, including the terracotta pits, and above-ground buildings show obvious signs of fire, as well as signs of human destruction. However, current archaeological findings show no evidence that the main chamber of Qin Shihuang’s tomb was burned or illegally excavated.

4. How many terracotta warriors and horses have been discovered?

More than 6,000 pieces of terracotta figurines and horses have been found in Pit 1, and more than 2,000 pieces of terracotta figurines and horses have been unearthed so far. More than 1,000 pieces of terracotta figurines and horses have been found in pit 2, and more than 500 pieces of terracotta figurines and horses have been excavated so far. The third pit has unearthed 64 pieces of armored warrior figurines and one chariot.

5. What are the types of terracotta warriors?

The terracotta figurines excavated from the terracotta pits can be divided into infantry figurines, cavalry figurines, and chariot figurines. Among them, the infantry figurines can be divided into two categories: military officials and general infantry figurines. The military officials are divided into, higher rank, middle rank, and low-rank officials. The general infantry figurines can be divided into light and heavy infantry figurines.

6. How much do the terracotta warriors weigh individually?

There are many types of terracotta warriors and horses, and their shapes vary greatly. The average weight of individual terracotta warriors is about 180kg, the heaviest is the terracotta horse, which is over 300kg. The heaviest terracotta warrior is the senior armored military official terracotta which is about 250kg, and the lightest is the kneeling shooting terracotta which is about 100kg.

7. Are there any terracotta warriors with double eyelids?

There are terracotta figurines with double eyelids found in the Terracotta Warriors and Horses. T1K17 in Pit 1 is an example.

8. What is the reason for the “general belly” of the Terracotta Warriors?

The terracotta warriors, regardless of their level, all have a certain degree of belly bulge, known as the “general belly”. Here the belly is not a big belly, does not affect the fighting ability in any way. The bulging belly may reflect the diet of the Qin people. The Qin army had to drink a lot of wine before and after the war, and the wine was corn wine. The bulging belly is probably directly related to prolonged drinking.

9. Were there any female figurines in the terracotta warriors?

From the documents and archaeological data such as “The Records of the First Emperor of Qin” and “The Brief History of the Qin Dynasty” in Yunmeng, Hubei, it is clear that men served in the military during the Qin Dynasty. From the archaeological excavation of the Terracotta Warriors, the various types of terracotta figurines that have been unearthed in the pit represent the image of young and strong men, and no female terracotta figurines have been found. At present, from the arrangement of the terracotta figurines excavated from the terracotta pit, it is unlikely that female terracotta figurines will be found in the pit in the future.

10. Is the terracotta warriors colored or gray?

The terracotta warriors and horses were painted in color when they were put into the terracotta pits more than 2000 years ago. But why is the army formation you see today a gray color of pottery? Because after more than 2,000 years of burial process, through flooding, fire, underground burial and other unfavorable factors, most of the color painting had been peeled off or lost before it was unearthed. Nonetheless, there are still a small number of residual paintings, as well as a large area of paintings preserved due to the good state of preservation of the burial, allowing us the opportunity to carry out effective conservation treatment of the paintings. It should be said that the painted terracotta warriors and horses reflect, to some extent, the wardress and colors of Qin Dynasty soldiers.