221BC221–210 BC · Lintong, Xi'an

Qin Shi Huang unifies China and the Terracotta Army

Ranks of terracotta soldiers standing in Pit 1 near Xi'an — Photo: Gary Lee Todd, Ph.D.. CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

In 221 BC the king of Qin conquered the last rival states and declared himself First Emperor, standardising writing, coins, weights and axle widths across China. Thousands of life-size clay soldiers were buried to guard his tomb. Farmers digging a well found them in 1974, and excavation continues in the pits east of Xi'an.

Archaeology
Royalty & Monarchy
Military & Battlefields
Xi'an, China

Sites

Site 1: Terracotta Army pitsRanks of individually modelled warriors in three excavated pits.Map ↗
Site 2: Mausoleum of the First Qin EmperorUnexcavated burial mound at the centre of the necropolis.Map ↗