Today Qin Shihuangdi is more widely known for his tomb than for his reforms. In spring 1974, peasants excavating a well more than a mile from his mausoleum at Mount Li encountered life-size terra-cotta figures and bronze weapons. The early historical records of the tomb itself described a magnificent chamber with a bronze roof, in which the constellations were set in pearls. The reconstruction of the empire was surrounded by the oceans filled with flowing mercury, and there were lamps filled with “man-fish” oil, set to burn for a very long time. The term man-fish might refer to a walrus or a marine mammal such as a whale. The historians SIMA QIAN and BAN GU concur that vast riches were accumulated in the tomb, which was not quite completed at the time of the emperor’s death, even after being under construction for more than 30 years. Sima Qian described how work on the tomb began as soon as the emperor took power as king of Qin. Workers excavated deep into the ground and poured molten bronze to form the outermost coffin. The tomb chambers incorporated replicas of the palaces and towers, and there were countless rare and beautiful offerings. Protection against tomb robbers involved the placement of armed crossbows, while those involved in the construction of the interior, with knowledge of its contents and layout, were exterminated.
Underground Chambers
The discovery of the first terra-cotta figures set in train a series of major excavations, which have revealed the presence of many subterranean chambers filled with representations of the emperor’s armies, retainers, chariots, and possessions. The entire complex included two walled enclosures covering an area of 5,600 hectares (14,000 acres). The central pyramid once reached a height of about 115 meters (380 ft.), though erosion has now reduced the height to about 70 meters. While no formal excavations of the tomb pyramid itself have been undertaken, borings have revealed unusually high readings of mercury in the central part of the pyramid, thus confirming the historic accounts of rivers and oceans filled with quicksilver that constantly flowed by means of an ingenious mechanical device. Soundings in the periphery of the pyramid have also uncovered magnificently finished bronze bells inlaid with gold and silver, huge eave tiles, sewer pipes, bricks, and burial pits. The pits containing the remains of the terra-cotta divisions of the Qin army
The terra-cotta army of Emperor Qin Shihuangdi is one of the most remarkable archaeological monuments in the world. (O Keren Su/CORBIS)
Have been excavated in part. These have provided a glimpse of not only the energy devoted to equipping the emperor’s tomb, but also the nature of the structure and arms of the all-conquering Qin military machine.
Largest Chamber
The largest of the pits contains a formation, probably in excess of 6,000 individual soldiers, each life-size and individually modeled. They were originally painted and bore real armaments: halberds, crossbows, and spears of bronze, with a few weapons of iron. These weapons are particularly interesting, for they reveal not only the skill of the manufacturers, but also the degree to which even their form and size were standardized. The alloy mix varied in each type of weapon to suit the stresses it would have been exposed to in battle. Many, particularly the swords, bear small inscriptions in the standardized Qin small seal script, denoting the workshop in which they were produced or their date of manufacture and the craftsperson who made them. The bronze swords have retained their finely honed surface even after two millennia underground, and detailed metallographic analyses have revealed that they were coated in a layer of chromium that was only 10 to 15 micrometers (400 to 600 pin.) thick. Apart from the abundant spears, halberds, and arrows, there are a few unusual double-edged long knives in the form of a hook, known as the wu hook, because they originated in the state of the same name. A weapon known as a pi, or short dagger, was also found for the first time.
The battle formation began at the front, with a vanguard of crack archers, divided into three units of 68 men. Behind them were 11 long corridors that had originally been roofed with timber beams, in which the main force was arrayed. This included chariots drawn by four horses and supporting infantry. The flanks and rear were made up of guards against surprise attack, each group looking in a different direction.
World History
