Archaeology
When was the Terracotta Army discovered?
1974 AD
Farmers digging a well near Xi’an uncovered the first figures on 29 March 1974 AD.
1 BC · 1 AD
Context
What happened?
Yang Zhifa, his five brothers and their neighbour Wang Puzhi were sinking a well about a mile east of the burial mound of Qin Shi Huang when they struck fired clay. Excavation eventually revealed three pits holding more than 8,000 soldiers, along with chariots and horses.
Significance
Why it matters
The figures were buried with the first emperor of a unified China around 210 BC to guard him after death, and no two faces are quite alike. The find transformed what was known about Qin craft production and the scale of imperial labour.
Further reading
Sources
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