Terracotta Warrior Pits and Earthenware Kilns of the Han Dynasty on Mount Weishan
In the No 2 pit were 11 huge wooden trunks -- four of which contained
terracotta chariots, horses and figurines. Surprisingly, most of the painted
soldiers in this particular pit are female. With their bodies painted pink and
collars and wristbands painted a deep red, each female soldier has a different
expression.
The terracotta soldiers were made in the three kilns unearthed around the
pits, according to archeologists.
Significance
The site's layout provides a vivid portrait of the typical aristocratic
formation of cavalrymen, chariots, foot soldiers and horses in the Han Dynasty
when going to war. Previously, such evidence has only been detailed in books or
Han paintings and stone sculptures.
The discovery has been marked as China's "third-largest
pit of terracotta
warriors and horses'' and the first well-preserved terracotta warrior pit
ever found in Shandong. In terms of scale, structure, and significance, the
Terracotta Army of the Weishan Tomb Complex is comparable to the Mausoleum of
Emperor Qin
Shihuang (221-206BC) and the tombs in Xianyang,
which are both located in Shaanxi
Province
.
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