brief introduction
The Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shihuang were discovered in 1974, and then a large museum was built here, which was opened on the National Day of 1979.
After the opening of the world's rare Qin Terracotta Warriors Museum, it quickly caused a sensation at home and abroad. It is regarded as an ancient miracle and one of the most important archaeological discoveries in contemporary times.
Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses amazed the audience with their huge scale, magnificent scenes and superb scientific and artistic level. With the Qin Terracotta Warriors Museum, the ancient city Xi soon became one of the most important tourist cities in China. Tourists from home and abroad have come here. Most foreign heads of state and other distinguished guests visiting our country should put visiting the Terracotta Warriors on their agenda.
The Terracotta Warriors and Horses Pit is about 1.5 km east of Qin Shihuang Mausoleum. There are three pits, one, two and three. The first pit was discovered by local farmers when they were drilling wells, and then the second and third pits were discovered one after another after drilling wells. The first pit is the largest, with a length of 230m from east to west, a width of 6 12m and a total area of 14260m2. There are about 6,000 life-size pottery figurines buried in this pit, and more than 1000 have been cleaned up so far. It is unbelievable to find such a large, numerous and lifelike pottery figurines in the ground.
Entering the hall of the museum, I saw thousands of life-size warriors lined up neatly at a depth of 5 meters underground, all in bronze, with a height of 1.8 to 1.97 meters. They are magnificent and daunting. There are 32 pottery horses as big as real horses. Ma Tao is a group of four horses, dragging wooden chariots.
Terracotta Warriors and Horses are arranged in three rows facing east, with 70 warrior figures in each row, ***2 10, which seems to be the vanguard of the army array. Followed by infantry and chariots, a total of 38 columns, each column is about 180 meters long, which seems to be the main body of the army array. On the left and right sides, there is a horizontal team facing the north and south. Each team has about 180 soldiers, which seems to be the two wings of the army. There is a column of warriors facing west at the western end, which seems to be the guardian of the army array. Some warriors and friends wear battle robes, others wear armor, and the bronze weapons in their hands are all real objects. Well-organized, team purge. Dozens of war horses hissed with their heads held high, ready to go. The whole army is ready to go.
The majestic military array represents Qin Shihuang's military achievements and dignity in order to accomplish the great cause of reunifying China.
The art history of these terracotta warriors and horses is very valuable. The creation of terracotta warriors and horses is based on real life, and its artistic techniques are delicate and vivid. The costumes and expressions of the Terracotta Warriors are different. There are many kinds of hairstyles, different gestures and different facial expressions. From their costumes, expressions and gestures, we can tell whether they are officers or soldiers, infantry or cavalry. There are veterans with beards who have fought many battles and young people who have just stepped into the battlefield. Ordinary figurines, as high as 1.96 meters, stand upright and concentrate on thinking, showing a firm and powerful appearance. The figure of a soldier, with his head slightly raised and his eyes looking straight ahead, looks high-spirited and childish. The soldier is wearing a shovel, holding a long handle and pressing the car with his left hand, which shows that he is a defensive soldier.
In a word, pottery figurines have distinct personality and strong characteristics of the times. These poems about horses and horses are a treasure house of sculpture art, adding luster to the splendid ancient culture of the Chinese nation and adding a glorious page to the history of world art.
Bronze weapons unearthed from Terracotta Warriors and Horses Pit include swords, spears, halberds, machetes and a large number of crossbows and arrows. According to the test data, these Cu-Sn alloy weapons have been chrome-plated. Although they have been buried in the soil for more than 2,000 years, their blades are still sharp and shiny, which shows that they already had high metallurgical technology at that time, which is a miracle in the world metallurgical history.
199 1 years ago, the Qin Terracotta Warriors Museum opened the No.1 pit. 199 1 September, No.3 pit was officially opened. The area of No.3 pit is only one twenty-seventh of that of No.1 pit. However, from the analysis of chariots, warriors and other artifacts unearthed from this pit, this pit may be used as the headquarters of pits 1 and 2.
history
In 22 1 BC, the king of Qin conquered his last rival, Qi, and became the supreme ruler of China.
"The king of Qin sweeps Liuhe, looking at He Xiongzai!" Qin Shihuang/Kloc-ascended the throne at the age of 0/3, took charge of state affairs at the age of 23, and conquered the six countries at the age of 39, ending the hundreds of years of vassal regimes since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and establishing the first unified multi-ethnic country in the history of China.
In September 2 10 BC, Qin Shihuang died and was buried in Lishan Mountain, east of Lintong County, Shaanxi Province. His mausoleum faces the Weihe River in the north, with great momentum and scale.
1in March, 974, local farmers dug up a clay figurine while drilling a well. They immediately stopped work and reported it to the relevant departments. It was identified by archaeological experts and scientific and technological personnel as belonging to the Qin Dynasty. Subsequently, three big pits were found nearby, which yielded amazing results and finally revealed a big secret of human historical and cultural treasures. It turns out that there is a huge and rare pit of terracotta warriors and horses here. These more than 8,000 terracotta warriors and horses have been sleeping for more than 2,000 years.
1976, the relevant departments built a hall here to facilitate the excavation and restoration work. Later, this building was named: Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum of Qin Shihuang Mausoleum.
museum
The museum is a modern exhibition hall with a height of 22 meters, a length of 230 meters, a vault span of 72 meters and a total area of 16000 square meters. The exhibition hall of the museum focuses on the No.1 Terracotta Warriors Pit, showing the cultural relics unearthed at the excavation site and in the pit, as well as some important cultural relics unearthed from the Qin Mausoleum.
Grave figure
So, what are these statues? In ancient times, when a slave owner died, he often buried the living slaves with the dead, thinking that he could also ask slaves to drive, cook and work for him in the underworld. Later, people no longer buried with the living, but used humanoid idols made of wood, clay and pottery. This is a figurine. Later figurines also included other animal idols in funerary objects, such as horse figurines, cow figurines, chicken figurines and dog figurines.
The No.1 Terracotta Warriors Pit is 230 meters long from east to west and 62 meters wide from north to south, covering an area of about 14260 square meters. This is the biggest pit. To the east of the pit is a corridor 60 meters long from north to south and 3.45 meters wide from east to west. There are three rows of pottery figurines standing horizontally inside, 68 in each row, forming a horizontal team. There is a partition wall behind the line, which divides the pit into 1 1 east-west holes, and 38 warrior figures are arranged in a column, all of which are eastward. There are four chariots between every four warriors. There are two rows of soldiers in the south and north of the first pit, and the middle is wider, so there are four rows of soldiers in each station, all of which are arranged in columns, with their backs facing east and west, pointing unequivocally to the enemy in the east. This is an "outward-looking" military array in the form of "positive array" in Qin Jun. These warrior figures, also known as warrior figures, are all over l.75 meters in height, wearing armor or battle robes, and their faces are bronzed. They are all listening attentively, calm and witty, with heroic demeanor and heroic spirit of walking the line and dying. These rows of neat and mighty warrior figures are like a "Qin Sanjun" composed of thousands of real people, which is magnificent. It vividly reproduces the majestic military capacity of Qin Shihuang's "destroying six countries and winning the world", which is awe-inspiring and daunting.
There are three types of soldiers and figures here: infantry, cavalry and chariots. According to actual needs, soldiers of different arms have different equipment. As a striker, the infantry who charged and followed the car went into battle lightly, without armor, short robes and belts, and with leggings, which was convenient for running. Warriors who drive chariots all have armor on their hands. In terms of identity, there are two categories: soldiers and military attaché s, and military attaché s are divided into junior, intermediate and senior. Ordinary soldiers don't wear crowns, but officers wear crowns. The crown of an ordinary military attache is different from that of a general, even in armor and armor.
The wooden chariot in the middle of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses, before each ride, has four warriors and horses, all of which are exquisitely carved, gilded and silvered, resplendent and magnificent, reminiscent of the fierce battle scene between Jinge Iron Horse and the Central Plains. Behind the car stood three figures of armor, namely the head of armor, rider and rider. These terracotta figures are all armed with bows and arrows and long weapons. The weapons unearthed in the pit, such as ge, spear, sword, bow and halberd, are all bronze products treated with chromium, and they are still as cold and sharp as new. It can be seen that the smelting technology of Qin Dynasty reached a high level more than 2,000 years ago.
What is particularly striking is the difference in facial expressions and face shapes between Ren Tao and Ma Tao. Military attaché s are generally more serious and older, and some have wrinkles on their foreheads. The expression of samurai is personalized, which not only shows their different personalities, but also makes some people guess where they are from. That face, with wide forehead, high cheekbones, thick eyebrows, wide mouth and wide cheeks, is simple and honest, probably from Guanzhong; The head is slightly shorter, with a round face, a pointed chin and thin lips. He looks witty, as if he were from Sichuan. This tall cheekbone, generous helix, thin eyelids and small eyes, strong and strong, may be from Longdong; This square face, wide mouth and thick lips, broad forehead and strong, may be from A Qiang in Longdong; The one with a wide chin, a big beard, a round mouth and thin lips may be a minority in the northwest. And Ma Tao, which is based on a real horse. Ma Tao is 2m long, with a shoulder height of1.29m and a head height of1.54m.. Some of them look forward, their mouths slightly open, their limbs empty, and they seem to be on standby at any time and rush to the battlefield; Some front legs are like columns, hind legs are like bows, and hooves and ankles are thin, which has the characteristics of horse racing. Appraised by animal husbandry experts, the images of these pottery horses are very similar to those of Taohe hippo. To this day, it is one of the famous horse breeds in China.
Over the past few years, five exploration sites have been excavated in No.1 pit, with a total area of 2,000 square meters. A total of 32 terracotta figures, 32 terracotta horses, 8 chariots and 3 drums have been unearthed. Judging from the arrangement density of these unearthed terracotta figures, there are more than 6,000 terracotta figures and terracotta warriors and horses after the excavation of No.1 pit, which shows the large scale.
Pit 1 is only part of the "underground guardian". There are two pits and three pits on the north side of the east end and the west end of the first pit respectively.
The square No.2 pit is located 20 meters from the east to the north of No.1 pit, covering an area of about 6,000 square meters. It is the longest from east to west124m, the widest from north to south is 98m, and the depth is 5m. There are mainly chariots and hundreds of cavalry figurines and archers in the pit. This is a "special force" composed of four arms: step, crossbow, car and riding.
The pit of Terracotta Warriors No.3 is concave, with a length of17.6m from east to west and a width of 4.8m from north to south, covering an area of about 520m. There are 68 pottery figurines in the pit, luxury chariots 1 vehicle, 4 pottery figurines with long crown armor, and 64 guards on both sides.
The discovery of Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shihuang opened an important page in the history of sculpture in China. It also reflects the military establishment and equipment of the Qin Dynasty, and is also helpful to China's military research. Sculpture in Qin Dynasty inherited from Yin and Zhou Dynasties and started from Han and Tang Dynasties, showing the characteristics of paying attention to details. If we carefully observe these soldiers and figures, we can see that they are different in similarities, different in similarities, changeable and lifelike. From the manner, expression, appearance, movement, posture, clothing and so on. It describes in detail the unique expressions, spirits and inner feelings of people of different ages, experiences, arms and positions. The war horses are tall and vigorous, with their mouths open, their manes cut, their tails tied and their ears leaning forward, showing agility, agility, strength and agility. These lifelike sculptures of Qin terracotta warriors and horses give people great artistic appeal and are the crystallization of ancient artists' skills and painstaking efforts.
Judging from the excavation, the No.1 pit is dominated by chariots, supplemented by infantry, and the car steps alternate. The second pit is a chariot, which accounts for a large part, and there are also a certain number of walking horses, which are mixed. Pit No.3 seems to be the "military headquarters" of Qin Jun. So, what unit does this symbolic army composed of Terracotta Warriors belong to? According to the identification of archaeologists, the No.1 Terracotta Warriors pit is the right army, and the chariots and infantry alternate, mainly infantry, and it is clearly divided into striker, defender, main force and flank; The second pit is Zuo Jun, with crossbowmen, chariots, cavalry and infantry. It is a combination group of multiple arms, which is obviously divided into four units, just like the appearance of large arrays and small arrays in ancient art books. Pit 3 is the headquarters. Although it is very small, only 1 chariot, but there are 80 warriors next to it. Samurai hold different practical weapons, such as crossbows, spears, bows and halberds, but they are more ceremonial and powerful. These three pits constitute a complete array system. These regiments, composed of warriors in armor and battle robes and mighty cavalry and motorcades, seem to reproduce the exploits and military strength of Qin Shihuang in those days.
According to the analysis of archaeologists, tens of thousands of troops were stationed in Xianyang Palace and Xianyang City in the Qin Dynasty. They can be divided into three types: those in Miyagi are called guards; Outside the palace, it is called the guard; Outside the capital, it is called Suwei. The composition and mission of the three armed forces are different. In contrast, the Terracotta Warriors and Horses symbolize the Su Wei Army, whose personnel are recruited from various counties and countries. Their task is to defend the capital, and they can also be transferred out to fight. However, these guards can't go in and out of the palace at will. It vividly embodies the grand pattern of Qin's military strengthening Ma Zhuang, sweeping Liuhe, robbing Xiongnu in the north, surpassing Nanping and unifying the sea.
Moreover, the production technology of pottery figurines also has its own uniqueness. Pottery makers and sculptors in the Qin Dynasty used molds as the main method, combined plastic molds to make parts, and gradually nested them. These large pottery figurines and horses were fired by firing in eight kilns and painting outside the kilns. The head of the terracotta figures is mainly molded by closing the mold, the legs and bodies of the terracotta figures are molded or rolled with clay strips, and the arms and hands are molded or hand-made.
Qin Shihuang was indeed a talented feudal ruler. After the reunification of China, he hopes to establish this underground kingdom, so that he and his descendants can live forever. However, what is truly immortal is not Qin Shihuang, but the splendid craftsmanship left by his slaves. Many foreign heads of state, heads of government and archaeologists visited the museum, filled with emotion and admiration. Some people say that you have never really been to Egypt without looking at the pyramids; If you don't look at the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Pit, you won't be in China. 1979 At the beginning of this year, Marshal Ye Jianying visited this unique museum and said, "This is the largest underground military museum in the world".
Chu tomb in Han dynasty
At the end of 1995, a news item from Xinhua News Agency said: The most perfect "peerless" gold dress was found in the Chu Tomb of Lion Mountain in Xuzhou. This special burial suit, which can only be enjoyed by ancient kings, is said to make the body immortal and the soul immortal, so it can make people "immortal". It is made up of more than 4000 jade pieces with basically the same size connected by gold wires.
Xuzhou is the transportation, economic, cultural and military center at the junction of Jiangsu, Shandong, Henan and Anhui provinces. Throughout history, there have been more than 200 wars around Xuzhou. The Taierzhuang Campaign in War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the Huaihai Campaign in the Liberation War all fought for Xuzhou. Xuzhou, also known as Pengcheng, has a saying in history that "Pengcheng has been listed in Kyushu since ancient times and has a long history of entering the dragon". This is the place where Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang made his fortune. After the establishment of the Western Han Dynasty, Liu Bang enfeoffed the kings, divided 36 counties around Xuzhou into Chu, and enfeoffed his younger brother Liu Jiao, known as the King of Chu in history. Since then, * * * has continued the Chu State 12 generations, and all of them were buried in the hills around Xuzhou after their death. So far, archaeologists have discovered eight tombs of Chu kings. Unfortunately, these tombs have been stolen more than once, and they are really empty. There are many mountains named after caves around Xuzhou, such as Cave Mountain, Nandong Mountain and Dongdong Mountain. In fact, these caves are looted tombs.
Lion Mountain in the eastern suburb of Xuzhou is such an inconspicuous hill, with an altitude of only 60 meters.
The Han group, terracotta warriors and horses unearthed in Xuzhou and the stone tomb of the Eastern Han Dynasty near Maocun in the northern suburbs are also called "the three wonders of the Han Dynasty". However, the discovery of the Chu Tomb in Lion Mountain started with the excavation of the Terracotta Warriors in the Han Dynasty, which attracted the attention of archaeologists.
1984 In the winter, a bulldozer accidentally shoveled out a batch of Terracotta Warriors and Horses of the Han Dynasty. This is the third batch of Terracotta Warriors and Horses unearthed in China after the discovery of Terracotta Warriors and Horses of the Han Dynasty in xianyang, Shaanxi Province in the summer of 1965 and the discovery of Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shihuang in Lintong, Xi in the spring of 1974. 1985 after the opening of Xuzhou Terracotta Warriors Museum, archaeologists did not stop working, but were thinking about a question: Why are there such a large-scale Terracotta Warriors buried here? Judging from the Terracotta Warriors and Horses in Xianyang and Lintong, they must be buried tombs in the Han Dynasty. Archaeologists began to look for it, and their eyes gradually focused on this lion-like hill. They drew all kinds of simulated maps about the shape of the mausoleum, used all kinds of instruments to detect it, and invited the geological exploration team to drill holes for exploration, but found nothing. The exploration work is progressing very difficultly. At that time, because there were hundreds of families living on the mountain and there were many houses, it was impossible to use large-scale general exploration, and plum blossom pile exploration method was adopted. Despite this, the exploration will still be disturbed, and spending money to levy houses has not been fully carried out due to funds and various reasons. This rambling practice is not 100% sure, so we have to give up. Once, the trench dug by archaeologists when requisitioning houses was only 10 meter away from the tomb of the king of Chu, and six years passed.
This is how archaeologists searched on a hill for six years. 1990 One day, Wang Kai, curator and archaeologist of Xuzhou Han Terracotta Warriors Museum, was looking for clues and chatting with the old people in Shizishan Village. He heard from Zhang Liye, an 86-year-old man, that his ancestors had dug a deep cellar, and the largest one could hold 10000 kilograms of sweet potatoes. The speaker has no intention, but the listener has a heart. The conversation with the old man touched the hearts of archaeologists. He thought that Lion Mountain was full of stones, how could it be dug into such a large cellar? The sensitivity of his profession drove Wang Kai to realize immediately that this was a very valuable piece of information. With the cooperation of Zhang Liye, archaeologists began to look for historical relics in the abandoned cellar of the Zhang family. When the trench was dug 3 meters underground, traces of manual excavation were found on the outer tomb road. When the news came out, people were ecstatic, and years of hope finally came. In order to find out the specific location and external structure of the ancient tomb, they carried out exploration and trench exploration, which took two years. It was not until 1992 that the location of the tomb of the king of Chu was finally determined, only 500 meters away from the terracotta warriors and horses buried with him.
The report on the discovery of Chu tomb in Shizishan, Xuzhou was quickly transferred to the relevant state departments. Residents of Lion Mountain began to move one after another. All the excavation and preparation work are in full swing.
1994165438+10. In October, National Cultural Heritage Administration approved the excavation of the tomb of King Chu of Lion Mountain, and ranked the excavation of the tomb of King Chu of Xuzhou as the first of the top ten new archaeological discoveries in China in 1995. It is suggested that a museum with cultural relics of the Han Dynasty should be built there. An archaeological team composed of six experts and six young researchers, including director Yu of the Chinese History Museum, began to conduct on-the-spot archaeological excavations of Chu tombs. This is really lucky for every member involved in archaeological work. Older experts are happy to witness the excavation of such a big tomb, but for young players, they are happy to get a rare opportunity to exercise.
The Tomb of the King of Chu is a mausoleum facing south, with a total of 12 rooms and a usable area of more than 850 square meters. It hollowed out half of Lion Mountain. The tomb adopts the horizontal cave style popular in the Han Dynasty, but a huge square patio has been dug, which has never been seen in previous Han tombs. In order to clear the rammed earth and fill the stones in the patio, people used forklifts and cranes to work for more than three months. However, Lion Mountain is not a heaped-up mountain. Like many hills around Xuzhou, they are all stone mountains. It is conceivable that under the conditions at that time, the amount of stone and rammed earth for digging this huge patio was about 5000 cubic meters, all by hand. I don't know how many people's lives will be exhausted, which is really unexpected. Experts speculate that it will take at least 20 years to complete this huge tomb of the King of Chu. According to historical records, the ancient emperors and princes built tombs for themselves from the moment they ascended the throne, and put the treasures selected from the treasuries into the tombs every year, so that he could be accompanied by wealth and prosperity after his death. This patio is like a luxurious and beautiful hall, as high as 1 1 meter. 1 17 meter long tomb passage leads to the mysterious underground world deep in the mountains through the patio.
For archaeologists, perhaps the greatest charm of archaeology is that you have the opportunity to open the door of history in person and turn back the clock. However, you have no idea whether the treasure house behind the gate is empty or destroyed. Everyone's heart is full of endless worries. Ten graves are empty. Could it be an empty tomb that was looted this time?