Perhaps many people have heard of the terracotta army in the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, with each statue having its own unique features. This reminds people of the ritual of sacrificial burial - burying the living with the dead, which was very popular in ancient times. According to archaeological documents, the Shang Dynasty was the period when "sacrificial burial" took place the most. Folklore has it that Qin Shi Huang wanted to have a powerful army in the afterlife, so he had people burned into statues. This rumor was half-true and half-false until a terracotta army statue in Shaanxi cracked, then all doubts were cleared up.
In the spring of 1974, Xi'an experienced a long drought. For their livelihood and future life, farmers wanted to dig a well near the Lintong area, Xi'an, Shaanxi. However, they did not dig water but instead dug into a hard object. Before that, there were also some brick kilns in Xi'an, so people did not suspect anything and just thought that this place used to be a brick kiln. After that, a series of antiques such as terracotta statues, crossbows, etc. were dug up, making everyone extremely surprised. That was how the Qin Shi Huang mausoleum complex was discovered.
Thousands of terracotta statues guard the resting place of Qin Shi Huang
One of the most notable areas in this massive tomb is the Terracotta Army. The area occupied by the Terracotta Army is huge. However, what attracts people is not only the huge area and quantity but also the fact that they are so detailed and vivid. In particular, each face on the statues is different from each other, looking no different from real people. Over the years, many people have come up with a creepy hypothesis that the "burial" system was applied here. Each statue in the Terracotta Army was created from a real person, so it has such a variety of shapes.
This army still stands after a thousand years.
However, this was not true and was refuted after an archaeologist discovered a cracked terracotta warrior statue. He then immediately conducted a study on the statue. This study completely refuted the folk hypothesis of burning living people. The reason was very simple, there was no soil inside the terracotta warrior statue, not even any filling material. The inside of the cracked statue was completely empty.
This discovery gives people a new perspective on the skill of ancient craftsmen. Experts have determined that the Qin Shi Huang's army was made using ceramic firing technology. The firing of ceramics is very difficult. First, the craftsman must use a ceramic mold to create the initial blank. Then cover the surface with a thin layer of soil. This layer of soil is the most important place to create the expression, face, and color of the character.