The Terracotta Army in the tomb of the First Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huangdi

This underground pit contains thousands of life-size figures representing an army. Made of terracotta, or clay, these figures were originally painted with vibrant colors. But what is the terracotta army? And why was it buried underground? This pit and the army within is associated with the tomb or mausoleum of the first emperor of Qin Shi Huang established the Qin Dynasty and ruled over China from 221 BCE to 210 BCE after unifying the independent kingdoms of the previous period, the Eastern Zhou. Qin Shi Huang was buried underground in a massive tomb complex beneath a pyramidal-shaped mound that was surrounded by two pounded earth walls. The terracotta army was buried in three pits that were found near the walled tomb complex. The pits contain over 8,000 warriors and horses, as well as around a hundred wooden chariots aligned in battle formation. These pits were designed to last forever, though many caved in when the capital was destroyed by rebels after the fall of the Qin Dynasty. One pit contained the main army in battle formation, while another contained the military guard, including various cavalry and infantry units, as well as war chariots drawn by four horses. The third pit represented an elite command unit, complete with high-ranking officers and war chariots. Nobody ever saw the army in its entirety because it was buried underground. It did not need to be seen to serve its purpose. The army was made to serve the emperor in the afterlife. The terracotta soldiers were crafted with close attention to detail. They were fired in a kiln between 900 and 1,050 degrees centigrade. At this low temperature, the unglazed clay remains porous, giving it its name, terracotta, or baked earth. After the sculptures were fired, they were painted in bright pigments, including Chinese purple. Unfortunately, only hints of the original pigments remain today. The figures were made in palace or local workshops and had quality control inscriptions on them. The soldiers carried real rather than replica weapons, including spears, halberds, dagger axes, swords, crossbows, and arrows. Like the sculptures, the weapons also had quality control inscriptions. Nothing but the best for the emperor's afterlife. It is estimated that it took 1,000 artisans one year to make 700 terracotta soldier sculptures. That's 7,000 figures in the 11 years that Qin Shi Huang reigned before his death. It's likely that he was already planning his enormous tomb complex even before he became emperor. Six different ranks of soldiers are represented in careful detail. A high-ranking officer, a middle-ranking officer, a standing archer, a kneeling archer, a charioteer, and cavalry. Each sculpture weighs around 330 to 440 pounds. The legs are solid for stability, while the torso and arms are hollow. Each sculpture is made of seven parts, a base, feet, legs, torso, arms, hands, and head. These were made in a limited number of varieties and were modeled separately in molds and then fitted together in a multitude of combinations, like mix and match, to create an illusion of a real army composed of individuals. Different sets of eyebrows, goatees, and mustaches were added to make the figures look even more realistic. Molds were used to standardize and speed up production so that thousands of sculptures could be produced efficiently. Artisans paid close attention to the details of the soldiers' dress and hairstyles. It was important to the artisans to convey the specific rank and function of each figure, but also to render them in accurate detail to make them as naturalistic as possible. Every individual plaque of armor, belt and belt hook, boot, tread on the soles of the shoes if visible, and strand of hair is meticulously rendered. Why did Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor, devote so many resources, including time and labor, to the construction of his massive tomb complex and to the creation of over 8,000 terracotta soldiers and more? The ancient Chinese believed that the spirits of the dead lived on and needed to be buried in tombs and supplied provisions for a happy afterlife. An underground tomb filled with furnishings, food, and cherished objects provided for a comfortable afterlife. The practice of sculpted figurines of people with the dead was not a new one. During the earlier Eastern Zhou period, tombs in some kingdoms were furnished with miniature figurines of servants to serve the spirit of the deceased tomb occupant in the afterlife. Called ming qi, or spirit objects, they were substitutes for real people and could function as a real person in the spirit world of the afterlife. The practice of burying figurines continued during the Qin Dynasty, but the extraordinary life-size scale and naturalism of the human sculptures discovered near the tomb of the first emperor is unprecedented. We can't be sure where Qin Shi Huang got the idea for life-size figures, but it is clear he wanted to create a replica of his army to serve and protect him in the afterlife.