Terra Cotta Statues

Over 2200 years ago, in an effort to reach immortality, China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, ordered the construction of a vast underground army of 8000 life size terra cotta warriors. For over 36 years, 700,000 laborers worked on this project. It is thought that real soldiers served as models for the statues. Located in Xian, China and first discovered in 1974, the underground terra cotta army is regarded as one of the most significant archaeological excavations of the 20th century.