---
node: terracotta_army
type: event
slug: terracotta_army
title: "Terracotta Army"
lead: "Thousands of life-size terracotta soldiers were buried near the First Emperor's mausoleum in the 3rd century BC to guard him in the afterlife. Rediscovered by well-digging farmers in March 1974, they rank among the greatest archaeological finds of the 20th century."
published: 2026-07-09
updated: 2026-07-09
image_file: terracotta_army.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Qin_Shihuang_Terracotta_Army,_Pit_1.jpg"
image_author: "Gary Todd"
image_license: "CC0"
---

## What happened

In March 1974, farmers digging a well near modern Xi'an struck pits holding an army of clay: life-size soldiers, horses and chariots buried about 1.5 km east of the First Emperor's tomb mound. Pit 1 alone is estimated to hold some 6,000 figures, with roughly 8,000 estimated overall.

## Background

Tradition says the tomb project began soon after the future First Emperor became king of Qin in 246 BC. The Shiji describes the tomb's marvels yet never mentions the clay army. Every face is individually modeled, and the figures were originally brightly painted and armed with real bronze weapons.

## Consequences

The mausoleum site was inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage in 1987. The central tomb mound itself remains unexcavated; mercury anomalies in its soil echo the Shiji's account of "rivers of mercury."