Fact Finder - History

Buried near the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China, is a massive collection of over 8,000 life-sized terracotta soldiers, horses, and chariots. Discovered by farmers in 1974, the 'army' was intended to protect the emperor in the afterlife. Every soldier is unique, with distinct facial features, hairstyles, and ranks, suggesting they were modeled after real soldiers of the Qin army. They were originally painted in vibrant colors and equipped with real bronze weapons. The project involved an estimated 700,000 laborers and represents one of the greatest feats of mass production and artistic detail in the ancient world. The main tomb of the emperor himself remains unexcavated, rumored to contain rivers of liquid mercury and a miniature map of his empire.