The Terracotta Army, John Man

The Terracotta Army is one of the greatest, and most famous, archaeological discoveries of all time. 6,000 life-size figures of warriors and horses were interred in the Mausoleum of the First Emperor of China — each is individually carved, and they are thought to represent real members of the emperor’s army. This is the remarkable story of their creation, the man who ordered them made, their rediscovery and their continuing legacy as a pre-eminent symbol of Chinese greatness.

The First Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, was king of the Chinese state of Qin and the first man to unite China into a single empire. On his death in 210 BC, he was buried in a giant mausoleum near modern-day Xi’an. In 1974 local farmers found the first of the Terracotta warriors. But most of the mausoleum is yet to be opened, including the burial chamber itself. The story of the First Emperor and the Terracotta Army is a fascinating one, not least for the discoveries yet to be made.