Therefore, archaeologists speculate that these pottery terracotta warriors and horses were the guardians of Qin Shihuang's underworld. The first emperor did not use live horses as raw sacrifices, but his guards were made by skilled craftsmen. Are these terracotta warriors the last evidence of the Qin Mausoleum?
Archaeological research shows that the manufacturing age of these terracotta warriors and horses began in about 221 BC, when Qin unified the whole country, and ended in 29 BC, which lasted about 1 years, and required tens of thousands of craftsmen to work together.
If the layout of the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor is built by imitating the shape of Xianyang, the political center and capital of the Qin Dynasty, then the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Pit symbolizes the army of the underground kingdom of the Qin Mausoleum, that is, a ghost army!
following the discovery of the first pit of terracotta warriors and horses in 1974, the second pit and the third pit of the terracotta warriors and horses were discovered in the first half of 1975. The three pits are basically arranged in a "pin" shape, with a total area of more than 2, square meters. There are more than 7, pottery terracotta warriors and horses and more than 1 wooden chariots. The three terracotta warriors and horses pits are underground tunnel-type civil structures, which are separated from each other, self-contained, closely related and integrated, and together form a huge and tight underground military camp.
in p>1979, archaeologists discovered the bronze chariot and horse pit 2 meters west of Qin Shihuang's mausoleum, which reflected the east and west of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses pit and became another major discovery in China archaeology.
The main body of bronze chariots and horses is cast in bronze, and some parts are gold and silver ornaments. Each part is cast separately, and then many parts are assembled into a whole by various mechanical connection processes, such as embedding casting, welding, bonding, riveting, snap fastening, button ring fastening, pin connection, etc. The whole body is painted, the horse is white, and the pigments used in painting are all mineral pigments mixed with glue, and the three-dimensional lines are shaped by the concentration of glue.
In addition to the three pits, there is also a pit No.4 that only excavated and expanded, and didn't have time to lay bricks and shed wood, let alone put the Terracotta Warriors into it. According to the survey, the No.4 pit covers an area of more than 4, square meters. Although people seldom mention it, it is not dispensable, because these four pits form a complete military compilation system. Three short of one, leaving a historical defect.
The three pits where this ghost army is buried are different: Pit No.1 of Terracotta Warriors looks like an infantry unit; Pit No.2 is a multi-armed special force composed of cavalry, chariots and infantry (including drivers); Pit No.3 seems to be the commanding organ in charge of pits No.1 and No.2..
There are more than 7, pottery figurines, more than 1 chariots, more than 4 pottery horses and hundreds of thousands of weapons in the three pits. The discovery of terracotta warriors and horses in the Qin Mausoleum is praised as "the eighth wonder of the world" internationally. Since 1975, the state has successively built exhibition halls on three pits for public display, of which the second pit was exhibited while being excavated. The terracotta warriors and horses in the No.1 pit are arranged in 11 east-west tunnels, with pin-armor figurines carrying arrows and spears and six chariots alternating with each other on the east side of 38 roads, forming the main force of the main body of the army array. In front of the main force, there are three rows of horizontal teams, each with 7 warriors, each with a bow and arrow in his hand, all of which are imposing and form the vanguard of the whole array. On the other three sides, there is a column of warrior figures facing south, north and west respectively, which seems to be flanks and guards to prevent the enemy from attacking from both wings and behind. (Terracotta Warriors and Horses of the First Qin Dynasty)
Terracotta Warriors and Horses of the Qin Dynasty are made of real horses and human beings. Warrior figurines are 1.8 meters high, with different faces and majestic looks. According to their costumes, stomachs and arrangement positions, they can be divided into generals, military officials, material officers, archers, warriors, etc., as well as the unique kneeling figurines and pommel horse cavalry figurines in the No.2 pit, all of which vividly reproduce the majestic military capacity of Qin Shihuang, who is majestic in the world and unified the six countries. The unearthed weapons are even more surprising. These chrome-treated bronze weapons are still cold and shiny, as sharp as new. The chrome treatment of bronze weapons proves that this technology in China is more than 21 years ahead of the technology created by Germany as an invention patent in 1937.
In addition, two groups of bronze chariots and horses unearthed near the mausoleum are displayed in the museum. Each group has one car and four horses. The car cover is gorgeous, the window is carved out, and there are gold and silver staggered patterns on the saddle. Each car has a hand figurine, which is really an artistic treasure of the Qin Dynasty.
However, the rediscovery of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses has brought people another fog. Why did Qin Shihuang use so many clay figurines to bury him?
Some people think that the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor was designed specifically according to the requirements of the ancient ritual system that "things die like things live". Because after Qin Shihuang ascended the throne, he spent most of his energy and time in the war to unify the whole country. At that time, he led thousands of troops to fight in the north, thus swallowing six countries and unifying the world. In order to show his achievements before his death, it seems inevitable to be buried with him in the form of an army.
Most scholars believe that the Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Dynasty are part of the Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang, which reflects the military situation of Qin Shihuang before his death, but they disagree on specific issues.
The first view is that this large-scale group sculpture of the Qin army unearthed in the pit of Qin figurines is a symbol of Qin Shihuang's creation and strengthening of centralization; The military lineup of a large number of terracotta warriors and horses in the terracotta warriors and horses pit is the image record of the powerful military strength under the rule of Qin Shihuang. In a certain sense, it can also be said that it is the symbol of Qin Shihuang's East Patrol Guard.
the second view is that the pit of Qin terracotta warriors and horses symbolizes the troops stationed outside the capital, which can be called the guards. The No.1 Terracotta Army array with chariots and infantry arranged alternately is the right army, the No.2 Terracotta Warriors pit with chariots and cavalry as the main part is Zuo Jun, the unfinished abandoned pit is the proposed Zhongjun, and the No.3 Terracotta Warriors pit is the shogunate of the commander-in-chief of the right, left and Chinese armed forces. The pit itself symbolizes the barrier of stationing troops. The defense of the capital by the three armed forces is a reflection of Qin Shihuang's desire to strengthen centralization and safeguard the unification of the country.
the third view is that the terracotta army array of Qin Shihuang's mausoleum is an unfinished project, and all of them should have 5, terracotta warriors and horses. This huge army array is equipped with troops in front, back, left, right and middle, which is actually the most basic array of eight array methods practiced in the Qin Dynasty. One of the characteristics of the phalanx formation is that it is "thin in the middle but thick in the square". The Chinese army has fewer soldiers, and the four peripheral teams receiving the enemy have more troops. The military array of the Qin terracotta warriors and figures is configured according to the square array method of "thin in medium and thick in square".
the fourth view is that the three pits of terracotta warriors and horses are not symbols of the left, middle and right armed forces, but reflect the three components of the central army in the Qin dynasty. Pit No.3 is by no means the headquarters that people usually say, but it should be the palace guard Lang Wei who symbolizes the command of the doctor. Pit 1 is a reflection of the Miyagi guards under the jurisdiction of Wei Wei, or the Southern Army. Pit No.2 reflects the garrison troops of the capital commanded by the lieutenant, which can be called the Northern Army.
Some people think that the No.3 pit belongs to the clan of the Army Wu, which is used for military sacrifices, and it is the place where the owner of the clan who is the object of ancestor worship in the army, the owner who moved there, and the owner who placed the two owners of the clan.
For the No.2 pit, some people suggested that it is a four-beast array, that is, the curved array is Zhu Bird array, the mixed array of chariots, infantry and cavalry is Xuanwu array, the array composed of cavalry chariots is Qinglong array, and the chariot array is White Tiger array.
Some scholars believe that the terracotta army array is the "constant array" as described in Wei Slow Son. Some scholars believe that the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Army array is a group of figurines buried for the first emperor.
it's impossible to confirm the purpose of building the terracotta warriors and horses' array, but the second and third views are more convincing from the current research results of the military system in Qin dynasty.