The surprising discovery of the terracotta commander in the tomb of the Chinese emperor

Fifty years after the discovery of life-size terracotta warriors in the tomb of China’s first emperor, archaeologists have discovered a rare new statue of a senior military commander.

“Artnet” wrote that archeological groups with excavations in China since 1994 have found more than 2,000 warriors created in the third century BC, as well as other military artefacts in a tomb complex that covers 51 square kilometers. have discovered It is estimated that there are probably 8,000 unique sculptures buried under the tomb.

This is the first time since the beginning of excavations in 1994 that a work has been found in this tomb. This commander was found in pit number 2. Drilling in Pit No. 2 was resumed in 2015, almost 20 years after the first drilling in 1994. So far, thousands of statues have been discovered, including animals and a few high-ranking warriors.

Pit No. 2 is L-shaped and covers an area of ​​6,000 cubic meters. In this pit, there are objects made of jade, gold, bone, iron, bronze, along with cavalry statues and war chariots. In fact, a unit consisting of 160 cavalry and infantry was found in this pit. These cavalrymen are standing in front of their horses. They hold the reins of the horse with one hand and have a bow in the other hand.

The newly discovered terracotta commander was next to three other figures identified as charioteers and their horses. So far, only 10 high-ranking officers have been found, and archaeologists interpret this new discovery as important for understanding the organization of the Qin Dynasty army. Experts can distinguish the rank of statues based on their clothes and posture.

“Certain Army” is one of the most astonishing discoveries of ancient China. This army is actually a collection of terracotta statues that were made as soldiers of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China. Experts believe that a total of 700,000 workers participated in the construction of this tomb.

These statues, which are made in the real size of a human being and each one has its own unique and real face, have caused archaeologists to present the theory of the construction of the famous Chinese army under the supervision of a Greek sculptor. The Greeks are known as the first people who were able to make sculptures with features very close to reality.

Statues in China were only made in 20 cm scale before the terracotta army statues were made. The “Certain Army” was registered as one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the century in 1987 in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The Clay Warriors Museum was opened in Xi’an in October 1979. The museum allows visitors to see the results of archaeologists’ excavations from a close distance through the wooden walkways around the pits.

Traces of red, brown, blue, purple, yellow and green pigments have been identified on the soldiers’ clothes and shoes. After the discovery of the Terracotta Army, the painted surface has started to peel and fade.

Although this group of statues is usually referred to as an army, not all of them are soldiers. In this collection of statues, people in the form of traders, stable managers and ordinary citizens can also be seen.