Tuesday 8 September 2015

Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor

This was one of my first postcards from China. Some of these terracotta warriors were on display in 2013 at the Bern Historical Museum, but unfortunately I didn't have the chance to visit this exhibition.
Terracotta Army
This postcard was sent by Kenj.

The Terracotta Army or the "Terracotta Warriors and Horses" is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. It is a form of funerary art buried with the emperor in 210–209 BCE and whose purpose was to protect the emperor in his afterlife.
The figures, dating from approximately the late third century BCE,[1] were discovered in 1974 by local farmers in Lintong DistrictXi'an, Shaanxi province. The figures vary in height according to their roles, with the tallest being the generals. The figures include warriors, chariots and horses. Estimates from 2007 were that the three pits containing the Terracotta Army held more than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses. - in: wikipedia

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