The Terracotta Warriors in Xian, as the funerary object of the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, is known as the “underground army corps sleeping for thousands of years”. This breathtaking historical relic is a brilliant treasure of ancient Chinese civilization and a must-visit attraction for many tourists during their Xian travel.
As one of the greatest ancient military artworks in the world, the Terracotta Warriors are large in scale and diverse in type, including soldiers, officers, horses, chariots, etc. Each of these lifelike Terracotta Warriors is unique, and different types of Terracotta Warriors armed units and responsibilities are clearly marked, which reveals the rich diversity and high organization of the Qin army.
Now let’s take a look at the types of Terracotta Warriors.
The Terracotta Warriors are mainly divided into soldiers and military officers in terms of identity. There are three types of military officers: junior, middle, and senior. Ordinary soldiers do not wear crowns, while military officers wear crowns. The crowns of ordinary military officers are different from those of generals, and even the armor is different.
High-ranking Officer
The high-ranking officer (the General) is the highest ranking figures in the Terracotta Warriors pit. This type of Terracotta Warriors is in very small quantities, but their presence undoubtedly provides strong leadership for this massive army.
So far, only 9 high-ranking officers have been excavated. Two of them were wearing battle robes, while the other seven were wearing armor. Their common characteristics are wearing a crossbill feather crown, having a tall and robust figure, outstanding temperament, and possessing the demeanor of a general.
Ordinary Military Officer
The military officer’s status is lower than the general, and can be classified into junior and middle ranks. The flat topped hat, square toed shoes, and gorgeous scarf around the neck may suggest his identity as a military officer.
The military officers wear double- or single-plate crowns on their heads, and several different forms of armor. In addition to differences in clothing compared to the general, there are also slight differences in spiritual temperament, showing their diligent thinking, brave and capable aspect.
Welcome to embark on a Xian Terracotta Warriors Tour to explore this “eighth wonder of the world”!
The types of Terracotta Warriors armed units are: infantry, archer, chariot and cavalry. According to the shape, it can be further divided into Standing Archer, Kneeling Archer, Infantry Warrior, Charioteer, Chariot Soldier, Cavalryman and Horse, etc. In the actual combat process, various Terracotta Warriors types of soldiers cooperated and coordinated with each other, forming an unbreakable attacking formation, which was also the momentum of the Qin army sweeping across the other six states.
Standing Archer
The standing archer is located at the forefront of the formation, dressed in a light and agile military robe. The weapon they hold is crossbow. And standing archer, together with kneeling archer, form a crossbow army formation. These two types of Terracotta Warriors were unearthed from Pit 2, demonstrating the strict discipline and efficient combat effectiveness of the Qin army.
The posture of standing archer is consistent with the documentary records, indicating that the shooting skills during the Qin Shi Huang era had developed to a high level.
Kneeling Archer
The kneeling archer is located at the center of the crossbow army formation, pointing the bow and arrow upwards. The kneeling archer is dressed in armor, with his left leg bent and squatting, his right knee on the ground, and his hands holding a bow, showing a solo exercise movement.
It is worth noting that even the stitches on the shoe sole of kneeling archer are meticulously crafted, reflecting an extremely strict spirit of realism.
Infantry Warrior
Types of Terracotta Warriors with the largest number: Infantry Warrior (ordinary soldiers), which are mostly between 1.75 meters and 1.95 meters in height. Infantry warriors, as the main combat force, are distributed throughout the entire military formation. They can be divided into two categories based on their attire, namely warriors in battle robes and armored warriors.
Armored warriors have the largest number and are mainly responsible for frontal combat. As the basic constituent unit of the Qin army, they usually hold practical weapons and have a high fighting spirit. Warriors in battle robes, agile and mobile, are speculated to be the dare-to-die corps or special forces of the Qin army.
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Charioteer
The charioteer is the driver of chariot, dressed in armor, with their arms raised in front of them in a driving posture of pulling reins. Up to now, more than 130 chariots have been unearthed from the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, each of which is equipped with a charioteer.
Due to the extremely formidable force of chariots in ancient Chinese wars, this type of Terracotta Warriors played a very important role in ancient Chinese wars, especially in chariot wars.
Chariot Soldier
The chariot soldier refers to the soldiers on a chariot except for the driver. There are usually two soldiers on a chariot, namely the left chariot soldier and the right chariot soldier.
The chariot soldiers are dressed in armor, holding long weapons such as spears, dagger-axes, and halberds in one hand, and grasping the chariot in the other hand. They are the main force of chariot wars and have certain differences in weapon configuration and combat responsibilities.
Cavalryman and Horse
A batch of cavalrymen and horses were unearthed from Pit 2, including 116 saddled horses, and in front of each horse stands one cavalryman leading the horse. This type of Terracotta Warriors was mostly used for wartime raids. They are the earliest discovered cavalry artifacts in the Chinese history.
Cavalrymen wear round skullcap and short armor, making it easy to mount horses. They hold bows and crossbows and can move quickly. Cavalrymen are arranged in groups of 4 horses, with 3 groups in a row, forming a neat rectangular cavalry formation, vividly depicting the real image of cavalry army in the Qin Shi Huang era.
In addition to war horses, there are also some pack horses, which are slightly smaller and may be designed for transporting materials.
Civil Officer
The civil officer wears loose long sleeves, with two hands tucked into the sleeves. Without weapons, they have a knife and sharpener hanging around the waist. The function of this knife is similar to an eraser, used to remove incorrect characters carved on bamboo slips. It is believed that these terracotta statues may represent civil officials serving in the central government.
Terracotta Acrobat
These statues are similar in size to real people, wearing short skirts. Some people appear tall and strong, while others appear short and slender. According to the analysis, this type of Terracotta Warriors may be acrobats serving in the imperial palace of the Qin Shi Huang, revealing the brilliant acrobatic art of the Qin Dynasty.
All types of Terracotta Warriors exude the unique dignity and composure of the Qin people, with a heroic spirit that never chickens out, vividly reproducing the magnificent military appearance of Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s “conquering the six states and unifying the whole China”.
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