Home » Arts & Design

Terracotta Warriors - The Ancient Chinese Terracotta Army

Ranked #5,050 in Arts & Design, #76,056 overall

The Amazing Terracotta Warriors

This page is devoted to the amazing Terracotta Warriors - the silent guardians of the First Emperor of China.

You will discover the historical facts behind the Terracotta Army and I will help you to find your very own warrior figurine.

Also find out where is the excavation site and the original Warriors museum located. You might need this information if you plan to travel to China.

Terracotta China - Table of Contents

  1. History of Terracotta Warriors
  2. How Were Terracotta Warriors Made
  3. The Terracotta Army Facts
  4. Warrior Links
  5. Terracotta Video
  6. Terracotta Warriors Exhibit
  7. Terracotta Warriors at the China Olympic Stadium
  8. Warrior Poll
  9. Great Terracotta Warriors Stuff on Amazon
  10. Location of the Excavation Site near Lingtong
  11. Location of the Terracotta Army Museum in Xi'an
  12. Terracotta Warriors Museum, Dorset
  13. Featured Lenses
  14. Reader Feedback

History of Terracotta Warriors

Chinese Terracotta Army 2000 years ago

Terracotta Warriors were discovered in 1975 near a small town Xian. So why Xian? What is so spectacular about it?

200 years BCE Xian city (aka Xi'an, Sian or Changan) in Shaanxi province was a very important place being one of the cultural centres of Ancient China.

It was the terminal station for the legendary Silk Road and the capital of many important rulers of Ancient China.

How Were Terracotta Warriors Made

It is fair to say that the construction of terracotta warriors had been one of the first occurrences of mass production. Without a system this work would not be possible to accomplish.

The clay for the Terracotta Army was made centralized and then distributed to separate workshops where the warriors were moulded and crafted. It is estimated that eight different moulds were used and then adjusted manually to give the terracotta soldiers individual look.

Do you want to obtain your very own terracotta warrior figurine? Click here to view the limited edition Warrior figurine!

The Terracotta Army Facts

Numbers and Facts


  • 700,000 workers and craftsmen took part in constructing the First Emperor's mausoleum.

  • 8,000 terracotta soldiers were made using mass production techniques and manual labour.

  • 2,000 figures have been freed from earth to date (data for year of 2007). It leaves the rest 6,000 warriors partially or completely covered in earth.

  • 26,000 square meters was the area necessary to house the magnificent burial complex of the First Emperor of China.

  • 1000 degrees Celsium was the temperature of firing the warrior sculptures. Although it may seem high, modern potters will tell you that 1000 C is quite a low temperature for ceramics.

  • 70,000 cubic meters of earth were moved during the construction of the First Emperor's burial mound.

  • How much does a terracotta warrior weigh? Their weight varies from 100 to 300 kgs (220 - 660 pounds)

  • 180 cm or 6 feet is how tall is the average Terracotta soldier. Presumably First Emperor's real warriors were at least half a foot shorter. It remains a riddle of why are their terracotta replicas taller.

  • 80,000,000 is the number of visitors to the original Terracotta Army site's Museum in Xian since it opened in 1982.

Warrior Links

Terracotta Warriors - One of the few exhibitions outside China devoted to the Terracotta Army.

Terracotta Warrior Figurines - great Chinese art items for sale.

Tennis Warriors - figures featuring the world's top eight tennis players.

Terracotta Video

Watch this exciting flick!

Preserving the Terracotta Warriors of Xian
by JNJhealth | video info

4 ratings | 7,389 views
curated content from YouTube

Terracotta Warriors Exhibit

At the moment The Terracotta Army exhibit is at High Museum of Art, Atlanta until April 19, 2009. http://www.high.org/

The next leg of the tour start on May 18 2009 at Houston Museum of Natural Science in Texas and goes on until October 16. http://store.hmns.org/DateSelection.aspx?item=560

After Texas the terra cotta Warriors Exhibit moves to National Geographic Museum in Washington D C - on November 19, 2009 and goes on until March 31, 2010. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/museum/exhibitions/ticketInfo.html

Terracotta Warriors at the China Olympic Stadium

Golden Warrior Souvenir

Did you know that Terracotta Army will connect the China's magnificent past with its present at Beijing Olympic 2008? Five original Terracotta Warriors will be on display near the China Olympic Stadium.

Don't worry if you cannot make it to the China games. A Golden Terracotta warrior can be bought as a souvenir with a single click!

You have a wonderful opportunity to join the owners of a limited edition figurine. Visit the Golden Terracotta Warrior to obtain your very own Olympic Warrior!

Warrior Poll

Let's share our experience

Loading poll. Please Wait...

Great Terracotta Warriors Stuff on Amazon

Loading

Location of the Excavation Site near Lingtong

Take a note of the large white hangar. The warriors were put under a roof soon after the discovery to protect them from weather. Double click to zoom in!


View Larger Map

Location of the Terracotta Army Museum in Xi'an

Find the directions to the original Warriors Museum.


View Larger Map

Terracotta Warriors Museum, Dorset

Can't be bothered going to China? Visit the Warriors in Dorchester, Dorset.

For more info visit Terracotta Warriors Museum!

Featured Lenses

Are you into culture and heritage? Check these lenses:

Loading

Reader Feedback

Please leave your comments!

submit
Show All
Feeling creative? Create a Lens!

Explore related pages

Related Tags