CHINESE TERRACOTTA WARRIORS

Excavated Terracotta Warriors Guarding the Mausoleum of Emperor Qin, Shi Huang Di, Shaanxi, China.





* Chinese Terracotta Warriors were arguably the first free-standing statues in the history of world art.

* This army was built to protect the tomb of the first emperor of the Qin dynasty, Shi Huang Di.

* Shi Huang Di, the first Emperor of all China, united all of what is now China during the Warring States Period, a chaotic, fierce, and dangerous time in Chinese history.

* The Terracotta Warriors represent only a small section of the 8000 strong underground army buried in front of the Emperor to defend him in the afterlife.

* The figures, more than 2,000 years old, were accompanied by weapons, real chariots, and objects of jade and bone.

* 700,000 forced laborers were sacrificed to construct his tomb which was begun as soon as he ascended the throne.

* Another intriguing mystery about the Terra Cotta Warriors is the origin of a synthetic purple pigment, often called "Chinese purple" or "Han purple," that the creators used to adorn the soldiers and their accessories.

* The Terracotta Warriors as we find them today, form just one of the many barriers the ruthless Emperor employed to protect his tomb for eternity.

* The main tomb is yet to be excavated. The explorations continue to this date and they continue to reveal astonishing secrets!

* Standing In front of the main tomb, what the Warrirors are guarding is "Qin, Shi Huang Di's Necropolis" - large enough and unknown enough to merit the name of "City of Death". More on that later...

One of the most important rulers in Chinese history, Shi Huang Di synthesized seven separate states into one nation. He was a phenomenal leader, who began connecting existing walls to create the first version of the Great Wall of China.



Shi Huang Di's necropolis demonstrates the First Emperor's ambition - not only to control all aspects of the empire during his lifetime but to recreate the entire empire in microcosm for his after life.



Some facts about Shi Huang Di's Necropolis...

* The construction of the tomb was begun as soon as Shi Huang Di ascended the throne.

* All workers and childless concubines were interred with him to safeguard its secrets.

* The outer wall of the mausoleum precinct measured 2100 x 975 meters and enclosed administrative buildings, horse stables and cemeteries.

* The heart of the precinct was the 500x500 meter tomb for Shi Huang Di. Heaven and earth are represented in the tomb's central chamber.

* The ceiling, inlaid with pearls, represents the starry heavens.

* The floor, made of stone, forms a map of the Chinese kingdom.

* A hundred rivers of mercury flow across it.

* All manner of treasure is protected by deadly booby-traps.

* Archaeologists estimate that the necropolis holds over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with horses, and 110 cavalry horses.

* All the statues were vividly painted with a very special color called "The Chinese Purple".

One intriguing mystery about the Terra Cotta Warriors is a synthetic purple pigment, often called "Chinese purple" or "Han purple," that the creators used to color the soldiers and their accessories. Here are some facts...

Chinese Purple was a manufactured pigment used
between about 1200 BC and 220 AD.

Chinese purple is a compound based on copper
silicate, and the purple color derives from the red impurity of copper oxide.

Arguably the color was invented by Taoist alchemists to imitate jade, an important substance for the Taoist religion.

The recipe for Chinese purple was lost, but recovered when modern day alchemists armed with high-resolution transmission electron microscopy were able to reconstruct the pigment.

Until the 19th century, most pigments were made from naturally occurring minerals or organic dyes. One well-known exception is "Egyptian blue", which is chemically very similar to the Chinese purple.

Does this mean there was a cross cultural technology transfer from Egypt to China, dating to a period before the Silk Road opened China to the west, even before the invention of paper or compass?

NO, Chinese purple was an independent invention. Deep within the structure of Egyptian blue, calcium plays a key role in the pigment's molecular identity, whereas in Chinese purple, that same slot is filled by the element barium.