Terracotta Army Bingma Yong

In March 1974, when digging wells some 1·5km/1mi west of the Qin Shi Huangdi mausoleum, farmers found some clay pieces. This accidental find led to the most important archaeological find of the last few decades: the Terracotta Army, distributed over three large underground platforms and guarding the First Emperor's tomb towards the east. Originally, the warriors stood in vast underground chambers with wooden ceilings. During the plundering of the grave in 206 BC these were also robbed; then the rebels smashed the figures and burned down the chambers. The re-assembly of the figures and the securing of all the traces that are left of the original painting forms one of the most difficult tasks for archaeologists today. Although the faces of the warriors show individual features, parts of the figures were probably mass-produced in large workshops.