We See the Warriors

The work continues.























from Leah:
This is something I've wanted to do ever since the original discovery of the terra cotta warriors.

The first emperor of China, founder of the Qing dynasty and the first to unite the area, buried these thousands of terra cotta warriors in the area surrounding his tomb. The actual tomb has been robbed and damaged, and excavators haven't opened up much as a result. but the warriors themselves are unforgettable.

The Chinese government has erected a very beautiful structure over the actual dig site, and the excavation work is ongoing. The figures in some of the pits are intact, while others still lay there in a damaged state. There are also mounds in the pits that look promising, still untouched.

The warriors stand at attention in rows. Some are archers. Some carried weapons, now gone, or held the reins of reduced-scale bronze chariots (the chariots now stand in an adjacent museum), or tend to their horses. The bodies resemble one another, but the faces and hair styles or helmets all vary.

It seems that they were all once alive and the place was once filled with the sounds of armor and shouts and horses. it's eery to think they were always this silent, always standing guard, against... what?