|
Decoding the Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shihuang
A rectangular pit containing stone armor suits was unearthed some 200 m
southeast of the grave mound. The armor was made of stone flakes and intended as
burial articles rather than for practical use. Tests show it would take a worker
between about 350 and 450 days to make a suit of armor with 600 stone pieces if
he worked eight hours per day, excluding preparation time. In Xinfeng town, six
kilometers north of the mausoleum, materials, tools and semi-finished stone
armors have been discovered, suggesting it was an armor-processing site.
The emperor remembered to bring his civilian officials with him into the next
life and a special burial pit for them. The pottery figures' costumes and
headgear reveal they were Emperor Qin's high-ranking civilian officials. They do
not carry any weapons, but each has a knife and sharpener at their waist which
was used to scrape off incorrect writing inscribed on wood or bamboo in the days
before paper was invented. Four yues (similar to tomahawks) symbolizing imperial
power to punish disobedient workers were unearthed in this pit.
A newly discovered pit
containing pottery acrobats and a bronze tripod tells us there was more to the
emperor's life than political affairs. Clad in short skirts, the life-size
figures vary in postures as if they were performing on the stage, and are more
active and expressive than the terracotta warriors. They might be modeled after
the acrobats who served in the imperial palace to entertain the emperor. The
unearthed bronze tripod (ding), delicately shaped with rich, fluid and beautiful
patterns, was probably a sacrificial vessel.
|
|
E-Mail
This Article 
Print
Friendly Format 
