Saturday, February 7, 2009

The Terracotta Army

Xi'an's biggest tourist attraction is undoubtedly the Terracotta Warriors. This 3000 year old, completely lifesize ceramic army was only discovered about 30 years ago by a local farmer digging a well. Today the site is still an active archeaological site with thousands of broken and standing soldiers of all ranks, life-size horses, and a full array of ancient weapons spread over half a mile in 3 plots.

Some of the best restored figures are on display on site with real weapons found alongside the soldiers. There were thousands of actual spears, bows and arrows, swords and knives, and crossbows as well as fully equipped chariots.



The sheer number of warriors (over 8,000) is impressive enough, but what really shocked me is the amount of detail in each and every soldier and weapon. Every figure's face and hair is completely unique and retains traces of a once vividly colorful past. Their uniforms, armor, and vestments all have a surprising amount of detail and movement. All weapons are ready for use against any potential enemy, all armed and ready to protect the tomb of Emperor Qin, the first emperor of unified China.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Ariel, I'm sending your comments and pictures to our 6th grade teacher that told me,after I sent her Silvia's pictures with the warrior(that Ross sent me, not Silvia)that she was teaching a unit on ancient China and Emperor Qin. They have smart boards and she displayed Ross' pictures and Silvia writings. She'll do the same with your Blog.
Thank you,
Maida
If you took any pictures of Silvia on the trip, send them over.
And again, Happy Birthday.