|
Your photographic guide to the World - Pictures of Qin Terracotta Army, Xi’an © 2009 - www.snapi.org - All rights reserved Photos & Graphics properties of Guillaume Sébire
Contact: mail@snapi.org |
|
"The Qin Terracotta Army (traditional Chinese: 兵馬俑; simplified Chinese: 兵马俑; pinyin: bīngmǎ yǒng; literally "soldier and horse funerary statues") are the Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Shi Huang Di the First Emperor of China. The terracotta figures, dating from 210 BC, were discovered in 1974 by several local farmers near Xi'an, Shaanxi province, China near the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor (Chinese: 秦始皇陵; pinyin: Qín Shǐhuáng Líng). The figures vary in height (184–197cm - 6ft–6ft 5in), according to their role, the tallest being the Generals. The figures include warriors, chariots, horses, officials, acrobats, strongmen, and musicians. Current estimates are that in the three pits containing the Terracotta Army there were over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which are still buried in the pits." -- Jane Portal and Qingbo Duan, The First Emperor: China's Terracotta Arm, British Museum Press, 2007, p. 167
“The Museum of the Qin Terracotta Army was opened to the public in 1979. It is the world-famous museum that is constructed on the site of its findings. The main exhibits of the Museum of the Terracotta Army are three exposed pits with [life-size] clay warriors and horses, as well as the hall of the two bronze chariots and horses. Approximately 8,000 clay warriors and horses, more than 10,000 bronze weapons have been found in the pits. The museum is like a treasure house of Qin Dynasty's military affairs, science and technology, art and culture. It has been listed as an UNESCO "World Heritage Site". Today the "Eighth Wonder of the World" has become a synonym for the well-known terracotta army." -- The Museum of the Terracotta Army |
