TERRA COTTA WARRIOR SOLDIERS

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The Terra Cotta Warrior Soldiers are located in Lintong District, approx 1 1/2 hrs by car from Xi'an.....much of the area we saw is used for farming & very primitive. We read there are many factories producing computers, lg equipment & sewing machines in the district. The warriors were built in 246BC; are around 2,200 yrs old and were made of clay and hand painted. Emperor Qin Shi Huang had 700,000 laborers work for 37 yrs on his mausoleum, soldiers, horses with chariots. The scale of the warriors & horses is stunning. There are over 8,000 clay warriors, over 100,000 bronze utensils, chariots & horses. They are considered the 8th wonder of the world, the best preserved ruins of a primitive settlement, the earliest, the biggest, the most lavish and the most beautiful bronze chariots in human history...this is a living reminder of the splendor of the Chinese culture......ALL the soldiers face east to show that they were ready for war. The other 6 kingdoms Qin Shi Huang was fighting againt were in the East. In 206BC, Xiang Yu, a rebel within the Qin dynsty came with his men; they torched & destroyed almost everything. The buildings that the soldiers were housed in were built of earth & wood. The fire burned the wood & the wooden ceilings fell upon these clay figures, which were approx 6' tall........many were also smashed with swords until there was hardly anything left. The charriots all burned but the soldiers, being made from clay, did not. By the time Xiang & his army departed, the site was in ruins. There are three enclosed sites, each bigger than a football stadium......site 1 has been well excavated;site 2 & 3 are presently being excavated. They were discovered in 1974 but the evcavation work did not begin till '88.....there is much more to be done......

We also stopped to see 'BANPO MATRIARCHIAL CLAN VILLAGE', which is '6,000' years old. It has been well excavated and enclosed. The circles on the site held the poles to support the building. Some buildings were round & others were square......they made elaborate pottery from a unique local type of clay. They had 2 types of kilns & a burial site.

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Photos

TERRA COTTA WARRIOR SOLDIERS
PIT #1, WHICH HAS BEEN WELL EXCAVATED. BIGGER THAN A FOOTBALL STADIUM. THE PARTITIONS SUPPORTED THE PILLARS FOR THE WOODEN CEILING. THEY WERE ALL ON A BRICK FLOOR.

TERRA COTTA WARRIOR SOLDIERS
SOLDIERS ALL FACE EAST, FACING THE ENEMY!

TERRA COTTA WARRIOR SOLDIERS
THEY ARE APPROX. 6' TALL. THEIR FACES WERE ORIGINALLY PAINTED, SOME OF THE PAINT STILL REMAINS ON THE FIGUES' FACES

HIGH RANKING OFFICER

BANPO MATRIARCHIAL CLAN VILLAGE
NOTICE THE ROUND CIRCLES WHICH SUPPORTED THE WOODEN POLES FOR THE CEILING OF THEIR BUILDINGS

BANPO MATRIARCHIAL CLAN VILLAGE
EXCAVATED PART OF VILLAGE, 6,000 YEARS OLD

BANPO MATRIARCHIAL CLAN VILLAGE
BURIEL SITE