China's Army of Terracotta Warriors
The Terracotta Army is one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of recent times, an underground army of warriors frozen in time in Xi’an, China. Found not very far from the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, a leader of ancient China, experts believe he was terrified of what was awaiting him in the afterlife so he sculpted an army to protect him even in death. This army from the 3rd century BC is a sight to behold, these beautifully sculpted soldiers were discovered by chance in 1974 by a group of peasants digging a well.
Since then it has been one of the most fascinating archaeological discoveries of our time in China and the world. Further searches in the region have uncovered thousands of terracotta soldiers and horses in full battle gear as well as soldiers with a pair of bronze chariots and horses. A fascinating fact about these soldiers is that no two of them look alike, each one has a different facial expression, that detail alone is mind-blowing considering there are thousands of them.
When visiting the Army of the Terracotta warriors, it is recommended to start with the smallest pit and move your way up. Pit 3 is the smallest with 72 and Pit 1 the largest with 6000 warriors and their horses. You will be able to examine some of them up close, for example an army general, a mid-ranking officer, a kneeling archer, a cavalryman, and a standing archer. Each of them has a distinct facial expression.
