Who is the Real Owner of Terracotta Warriors and Horses
Visiting the Terracotta Warriors and Horses is one of the best things to do for almost all tourists during their travel to Xian. It is also one of the top attractions in the world. Many international tourists don’t know how to get to Terracotta Warriors from Xian. Actually, it is very convenient to take a bus/ taxi/ rent a car from Xian to Terracotta Warriors and the transfer takes about 50 minutes.
As part of the burial pits of the Mausoleum of Emperor Qinshihuang, the Terracotta Army Pits are located about 1500 meters east of the emperor’s tomb. The mainstream experts agree the owner of Terracotta Warriors and Horses is Emperor Qinshihuang, but some others hold different ideas.
Some experts think the owner of this underground army is Qinshihuang’s great-great-grandmother – Empress Dowager Mi Yue, who was born and grew up in the Chu State during the Warring States Period (475BC-221BC).
The experts who support the theory that Mi Yue is the owner of the Terracotta Army provide their arguments and certain evidence. However, supporters of the more widely accepted theory—that the owner of the Terracotta Warriors was Emperor Qin Shi Huang—present an alternative set of arguments.
Arguments Supporting the Theory that Mi Yue is the Owner of the Terracotta Army
Argument one – the bob on right top of the head
Terracotta Army is thought to be troops of the Emperor Qinshihuang. But differ from the normal soldiers who are prepared for war, they have no helmets on their heads. Instead, most of them have a bob on the right top of their heads and they wear some fine hair braids.
The figures of Terracotta Army were created based on the real persons, horses, weapons, chariots, etc. So Mr. Chen Jingyuan, an architect who does lots of work on study of Terracotta Army, beliefs the bobs on the soldiers’ right head also have their life prototype.
And according to his research, if deploying the soldiers bobs and the hair braids their hair would be minimum 0.6 meters long. It is basically impossible that the real soldiers in military camp have time to deck themselves in that way. While in the ancient tomb of Chu State, the terracotta figures with the same bob were also unearthed.
Argument two – the colorful clothes of Terracotta soldiers
Black is the compulsory clothes color of the Qin State. And the Emperor Qinshihuang issued an ordinance about upholding of black. So how could he promise soldiers with colorful clothes buried with him?
But among the 1087 soldier figures unearthed in pit one, there are 88 soldiers dressed in red, 52 soldiers in purple, 118 soldiers in green, 16 soldiers in azure black, and 2 soldiers in white. The soldier figures in pit three have more rice colors: vermilion, rose color, pink… there are 13 colors in total.
Argument three – the chariots with different wheel base
During excavation there are many chariots unearthed. The size the wheel base of these chariots are various. In the Warring Period each state has special width of their national road, so the wheel bases are also unique.
After Emperor Qin Shi Huang unified the six other states, he implemented standardized regulations for chariot sizes and wheelbases across the country. However, the chariots found in the Terracotta Army pits vary in wheelbase measurements—ranging from 1 meter to 1.37 meters.
Given the regulations by the emperor, it is difficult to believe that he would have allowed chariots of different sizes to be buried in his mausoleum.
Argument four – the gloomy elder soldiers
According to Chen Jingyuan, just a few soldier figures are the young ones. More of them are wearing moustache, and are fat and looks slack. The archeologist Wang Yuqing declared in his published article that among the 29 soldier figures, 3 are young ones, and all the others are 26 or elder ones.
General speaking, only a few soldier figures are in positive mental condition. Most of them are gloomy. The doughty Emperor would choose the depressed troop to guard his nation in the nether world.
Evidence Supporting the Theory that the Terracotta Army Belongs to Emperor Qin Shi Huang
Construction Materials of the Terracotta Army and the Tomb Site are Identical
The construction materials used in the Terracotta Warrior pits are the same as those found at the site to the west of the emperor’s tomb. They are identical in size, color, decoration, firing technique, texture, and weight. Even the inscriptions and stamps on the bricks are identical. This evidence supports the conclusion that the Terracotta Army pits belong to the era of Emperor Qin Shi Huang.
Terracotta Figures and Burial Artifacts from the Pits and Tomb are Similar
The terracotta figures in the Terracotta Army pits share the same stylistic features and craftsmanship as those from the emperor’s tomb complex. The figures’ size, clothing, headwear, and hairstyle at both sites are similar, indicating they were produced during the same period and by the same group of artisans. And the conclusion was further confirmed by the consistency in sculptural details between the terracotta cavalry figures and the bronze horses in the tomb site.
Terracotta Army Pits are within the Boundaries of the Mausoleum
Archaeological evidence shows that the area around the tomb is vast, covering 56.25 square kilometers. And the Terracotta Army pits are about 1,025 meters from the mausoleum’s outer walls, which is a dense distribution zone of relics, with many other burial pits from the same period nearby.
Only Emperor Qin Shi Huang Could Have Afforded Such a Large-Scale Burial Project
The area around the emperor’s tomb is vast, covering 56.25 square kilometers. Experts argue that only Emperor Qin Shi Huang could have undertaken such a large-scale burial site.No one else has had the financial resources and ambition to construct such an extensive burial pit, including Empress Dowager Mi Yue.
Absence of Female Burial Artifacts Rules Out Connection to Empress Dowager Mi Yue
Typically, female-related burial items or servant figures would be discovered in female tombs. While there is no evidence of this kind of item in the Terracotta Army, this firmly indicates that the Terracotta Army pits have no connection to Empress Dowager Mi Yue.
Conclusion: The Real Owner of the Terracotta Army is Emperor Qin Shi Huang
In conclusion, the real owner of the Terracotta Army is undoubtedly Emperor Qin Shi Huang, a view that is widely accepted by experts. When visiting the Terracotta Army and the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, take the opportunity to explore the intricate details of the relics and figures, and learn more about the rich history behind these artifacts.
