Xian Tombs of the Qin Dynasty

By History.com, adapted by Newsela staff on 07.25.17

Word Count 672
Level 790L

In 1974, peasants digging a well near the city of Xian, in Shaanxi province, China, stumbled upon a cache of life-size, terracotta figures of
soldiers at what was later determined to be the burial complex of the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty, Qin Shi Huang (259 B.C.-210 B.C.).
Photo by: Kevin Poh/Flickr

In 221 B.C., Qin Shi Huang became emperor of China. At the time, China was made up of many
states. When the emperor came to power, China's states had been fighting with each other for 200
years. This was known as the Warring States Period.

Emperor Qin Shi Huang helped bring the states together. They soon united under one central
government. This was the start of the Qin Dynasty. Now that states were unified, the government
also had control over many workers from all over the land. With them, the government would be
able to accomplish remarkable building projects.

Soon, they put up several palaces and a huge park for hunting. They also made an early version of
the Great Wall of China. The huge wall was built to protect China's northern borders. Another
major project was an elaborate building where the emperor would be buried after he died.

A huge burial site is discovered

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In 1974, peasants were working in a field about 20
miles east of the city Xian. Suddenly, they stumbled
upon something interesting.

It was a burial site, and it was huge. It was soon

identified as the tomb of the first emperor. This find
was hailed as one of the most important
archaeological finds of the 1900s. Soon, scientists
began to dig up the area.

The site spanned about 20 square miles. Diggers found remains of a palace, offices, store houses
and stables lined with horses' bones. There were special altars, or tables, for religious events.
There were even cemeteries for workers who were killed while building the tomb.

In total, four pits were found. Three of them contained thousands of life-size figures. Researchers
discovered about 8,000 soldiers made of terracotta, a type of clay baked and made hard in an
oven. The soldiers had been arranged as if they were in a battle formation. No two figures looked
exactly the same. In addition to the soldiers, clay horses, weapons and other artifacts were
unearthed.

Repairing the broken figures

Most of the clay soldiers were broken into pieces. For

years, scientists dug up and restored these remarkable
artifacts, and it was hard work.

Researchers found the complex had been robbed.

Many of the terracotta figures were vandalized, or
damaged on purpose. Restorers set about putting the
figures back together again. They built bodies,
replaced heads and fixed painted surfaces, and rebuilt
chariots and several hundred horses.

Soon, scientists found out how the figures originally had been made. They believe 700,000
prisoners and laborers were forced into work, and it took about 30 years for them to finish.

Craftsmen who knew how to make terracotta drainage pipes used their skill to create the figures.
They used molds and an assembly line of people to make the body parts, like in a factory.

Burial room left unopened for now

Researchers have been working at the burial site since the 1970s. However, the emperor's burial
room is still unopened. There are fears of damaging the artifacts and the emperor's dead body.

Writings from the 1st century B.C. describe the burial site. The author claims that it was made to
look like a copy of Earth. There are precious stones in the ceiling that mark stars and planets.
Streams were carved in the floor to represent local rivers. These "rivers" were made of mercury, a
liquid metal that is poisonous to people. Studies have shown that the ground still has much
mercury in it. People think digging up the area may be unsafe. They are trying to find ways to dig
that still protect what's inside and the people who are digging.

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The discovery of the terracotta army made the city of Xian famous. By the late 1970s, part of the
site was opened for tourists. Museums were built nearby to show the artifacts. As more visitors
came, Xian opened more hotels, restaurants and gift shops. Soon the area was one of the most-
visited places in China, with tour groups arriving daily.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.