Terra-Cotta Soldiers June 12, 2010

In 259 B.C. at the time of the First Emperors birth, China had been in a state of civil war of over 200 years and was divided amongst 7 Warring states. Qin ascended the throne at the age of 13, but did not have full power till the age of 21. One of his goals was to end the centuries of war and to unite the warring states into one kingdom. After almost twenty years of pitched battle, he was able to do just that. For the first time, the warring states were united into one country. Not content with just one lifetime, he began searching for things to prolong his life, including the fabled elixir of life. But what his alchemists brought back were things like powdered jade, phosphorous, and mercury. Before his death in 210 B.C. he began working on an elaborate burial site containing all the luxuries he'd enjoyed in life. Most impressively, it is said he had made 8,000 terra cotta warriors, the vanguard of his army, to protect him forever in the afterlife. Each of these statues is unique, from the braiding of their hair, to the way their armor is pieced together. Most of these statues are life sized, standing an average of 6ft. These statues were rediscovered in 1974, in Xi'an, Shaanxi province. The excavation is ongoing. The exhibit features about 6,000 1/3 rd scale replicas, made in Xi'an for Forbidden Gardens. The layout is as was thought to be in 1992 when the construction first began, but new discoveries have been made since that time, including figures of animals, dancers, and acrobats.