At 1 p.m. on June 13, 2009, about 37 kilometers east of Xi’an, capital of Shaanxi Province, the third excavation commenced at Pit No.1 of the Qin Shihuang Terracotta Warriors and Horses. The last dig took place 24 years before. Experts and laymen alike wonder: What other great marvels will be revealed by the “Eighth Wonder of the World”?

Terracotta Treasures

Qin Shihuang (259–210 B.C.), founder of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 B.C.), was the first emperor of a united China. According to historical records, the troops guarding the Xianyang Palace in Xianyang City, where the emperor resided, were generally divided into three classes: Royal bodyguards, who served to safeguard the entire complex of the imperial palace; garrison soldiers, who were responsible for protecting all the gates of the palace as well as governmental offices and temporary imperial palaces in and around Xianyang City; and stationed troops, committed to safeguarding the capital city and fighting for the state on the battlefield when summoned.

The layout of the Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang greatly resembles that of the historic Xianyang Palace, and the terracotta warriors and horses are located on the north side of the passage leading to the east gate of the mausoleum. Archaeologists hence deduced that the terracotta army was arrayed to symbolize the actual troops who were tasked with safeguarding the capital city. This was the mainstream view when the relics were first discovered.

However, this determination was later questioned by some scholars. In the belief of Liu Jiusheng, associate professor at Shaanxi Normal University, in ancient times the terracotta figures buried with the dead were generally devoted to the images of close relatives and intimate friends, rather than ordinary people, so burying terracotta images of “warriors” seems to go against the ancient Chinese perspective of death and the afterlife. Moreover, the Qin terracotta figures obviously exceed the average height of the ancient Chinese. Further, their postures, hairstyles and the design of their clothing more represent the style of upper-class elites during the Qin Dynasty. According to Liu, the Qin terracotta army was actually modeled after the bodyguards of Emperor Qin Shihuang, as well as their chariots, horses and other fittings. He says the entirety of Pit No.1 represents the occasion of an imperial outing or a grand ceremony.