Day 11 Terra Cotta Warriors

The green hill is actually an Emperor's tomb. It has not been excavated yet, but will be done after the current digs are completed.

The warrior display was massive and very well done. When the figures were found, they had been smashed and had their weapons removed by a rebellion just a few years after the Emperor died. The figures on display have been reconstructed from the fragments. The most interesting thing was that each Terra Cotta figure represented an actual person in the Emperor's army. Originally they had all been painted to represent people and their clothes.

When an Emperor died, he would be buried with everything he thought he would need to continue his lifestyle in the after-life. This included furniture, clothing, food, household servants, concubines and anything else necessary to make him comfortable. This particular Emperor realized that if his warriors were buried with him, his dynasty would be defenseless, so he chose to be buried with replicas of his army. The soldiers were set up in a standard military formation, so the archaeologists could tell when they had unearted the entire army.

The last picture is one of the four farmers who originally discovered the figures while digging a well. He is retired from farming, but is paid to autograph souvenir books. He doesn't want to be photographed because he believes that flash cameras have ruined his eyesight. Never mind that he is 79 years old! Therefore, he holds the fan in front of his face whenever he thinks someone is taking a picture. Apparently he didn't notice me at the back of the crowd.