Today we went to the Terracotta Warrior Museum outside of Xi'an. We were able to visit three pits which are still being excavated. Another amazing experience, and another history lesson. The first emperor of China started the construction of his mausoleum in 247 BC. The soldiers were commissioned to protect the emperor at his burial site and also to guarantee his prestige and power in the afterlife. In the three pits 8,000 soldiers are expected to be excavated.
The warriors have different facial features, hairstyles, clothing, and shoes making each unique. Some of the figures were signed by the artist who sculpted them. The emperor did not want any ruler following him to have the secret of how these were made, so he had all the workers from the project put to death and buried in his tomb.
These warriors were called vanguards. They were considered the bravest because they were at the front of the tomb and had no weapons. Other soldiers were found to have bronze weapons in their hands.
The yellow paint found on this soldier is very rare. When the soldiers were unearthed they had colored faces and uniforms but soon after being exposed to the air the colors faded.
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