The Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses
秦始皇陵兵马俑
The Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses are one of the most significant archeological discoveries in the 20th century. The excavation work is on-going at this site, which is around l. 5 kilometers east of Emperor Qin Shihuang's missed by any visitor to China. Upon ascending the throne at the age of 13 in 246 BC, Qin Shihuang, later the first feudal emperor in the Chinese history, began to work for his mausoleum. It took ii years to finish. It is speculated that many buried treasures and sacrificial objects had accompanied the emperor in his afterlife. A group of peasants uncovered some pottery while digging for a well nearby the royal tomb in 1974. It caught the attention of archeologists immediately, who, after massive on-site excavations, claimed that the Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses had been associated with the Qin Dynasty. The museum covers an area of 16,300 square meters, divided into three sections, i.e.No.1 Pit, No.2 Pit, and No.3 Pit respectively. No. I Pit, the largest of the three, was first opened to the public on China's National Day, 1979. No. 2 Pit, found in 1976, is 20 meters northeast of No. 1 Pit. It contained over one thousand warriors and 90 chariots. It was unveiled to the public in l994. Archeologists came upon No. 3 Pit also in 1976, 25 meters northwest of No. I Pit. It looked like the command center of the armed forces. It went on display in 1989, with 68 warriors. a war chariot and four horses. Up to now, over 7,000 pottery soldiers and horses, chariots, and weapons have been unearthed from these pits. Most of them have been restored to their former grandeur. The Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses were listed by UNESCO in 1987 as one of the world cultural heritages.
秦始皇陵兵马俑是20世纪最重要的考古发现之一。在陕西西安市临潼区秦始皇陵以东约1.5千米处，考古发掘工作正在进行。到中国的游客都不会错过参观这一景点。秦始皇后来成为中国历史上首位封建帝王。13岁的他于公元前246年继承王位之后就着手营造自己的陵墓，历时11年方修建完成。有人猜测，始皇帝死后有大量的宝物和陪葬品埋入陵墓陪伴这位帝王。1974年，几个农民在帝王陵寝附近打井时发掘出一些陶制品，这立即引起了考古学家们的注意，他们在经过大量的现场发掘后认为兵马俑和秦代关系密切。兵马俑博物馆占地16300平方米，由三部分组成，即分别是l号俑坑、2号俑坑和3号俑坑。一号坑在三个坑中最大，首先于1979年中国的国庆节当天向公众开放。1976年发现的2号坑，在一号坑东北方向20米处，有1000多个陶俑和90乘马车。2号坑于1994年向公众开放。3号坑也是考古学家在1976年发现的，在l号坑西北方向25米处，该俑坑看上去像是军队的指挥中心。1989年公开展览的3号坑，由68个陶俑、一乘战车和四个马佣。迄今从这些俑坑中共发掘出7000余件陶俑、陶马、战车和兵器，大部分经过修复都已重获了昔日的威武和庄严。秦始垒陵兵马俑于1987年被联合国教科文组织列为世界文化遗产之一。