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.”