terracotta warriors and horses of qin shihuang mausoleum

1974, an underground building and pottery figurines were found in Xiyang Village, Lintong County, Shaanxi Province, located at 1 km east of the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor. This incident shocked the world. This is the Terracotta Warriors and Horses of the Qin Mausoleum, known as the "eighth wonder of the world". First of all, the terracotta warriors and horses in the Qin Mausoleum are shocking with their overall majestic momentum. The postures of Tao Bing and Ma Tao are mostly static, and the repetition of many upright static bodies constitutes a huge solemn and silent scene.

Brief introduction of terracotta warriors and horses in Qin Shihuang mausoleum

Since 1974, three large terracotta warriors and horses pits have been excavated at 1000 meters east of Qin Shihuang Mausoleum in Lintong, Shaanxi Province, and about 7,000 pottery chariots and horses, figurines and 10000 practical weapons have been buried. The total area of the three slave burial pits is 20,000 square meters, of which rectangular pit No.1 is the largest, with a total area of 13000 square meters. The Terracotta Warriors and Horses, as tall as real horses, are buried neatly and orderly. According to the density, the total number of people is 6000, which is the main force composed of chariots and infantry. The second pit is about 6000 square meters, and it is estimated that there are 1500 figurines. This is a mixed force composed of crossbowmen, chariots and cavalry. Pit No.3 is the smallest, about 5,000 square meters, with 69 figurines, including chariots, charioteers, warriors, and the military headquarters of Pit No.1 and Pit No.2, thus forming a unified, complete and magnificent military formation, which is a true portrayal of the imperial army in Qin Dynasty. In the overall design, it not only shoulders the symbolic function of guarding the cemetery, but also is a memorial sculpture of Qin Shihuang's historical achievement of unifying China.

First of all, the terracotta warriors and horses in the Qin Mausoleum are shocking with their overall majestic momentum. The terracotta warriors and horses in pits No.1 and No.2 basically face east. At the front of the huge military array are three rows of troops advancing horizontally. Three captains are wearing armor, and the rest of the soldiers are wearing helmets and short brown, and their legs are tied. It depicts the characteristics of the vanguard troops traveling lightly and the spirit of quickly destroying the enemy. The powerful following force is the main force of the chariot surrounded by 38 columns and thousands of armored figurines. Soldiers with high morale, armed with knives, spears, halberds and other weapons, surrounded the chariots, and the horses pulling the carts, in groups of four, held their heads high, showing the growth of the main lineup. Guards were placed on the left and right sides of the army to guard against the enemy's sudden attack. Soldiers and numbers are in 1. Up and down 8 meters, the horse is as big as a real horse. This magnificent army array, which is tall, neat and well-organized, is full of pre-war tension and majestic momentum, and truly reproduces the power of Qin Jun sweeping the six countries. Secondly, the individual image of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses in the Qin Mausoleum is also very successful. The number and scale of these pottery terracotta warriors and horses are unprecedented. The production method is to use plastic and mold, make it in sections, put it into a rough tire, carefully carve it with fine mud, and then color it after firing in a kiln. According to their postures, costumes, equipment and positions, pottery figurines are divided into different arms and departments, including general figurines wearing double-rolled-tail long crowns, battle robes and scales, general figurines holding swords, military attache figurines wearing single-rolled-tail long crowns, armor or breastplates as commanders, knight figurines standing beside horses in round sleeves, narrow sleeves and waist-length armor, and warrior figurines in various costumes. When portraying characters, craftsmen vividly, accurately and meticulously show the characteristics of the object with a simple and realistic attitude, and carefully create portraits of warriors with different faces and personalities without using any exaggerated or distorted artistic techniques. Careful observation shows that many soldiers' images are not exactly the same, but they all have the appearance characteristics of Qinchuan people. The different hairstyles, beards, clothes and appearances of Qin figurines fully reflect the artistic imagination and creativity of craftsmen. Take the three figurines standing upright before the No.1 pit horse crossed the second hole as an example. A face, Fiona Fang, slightly old, with closed lips, wide eyes and staring ahead, is a battle-hardened, calm and brave warrior image; A lanky face, bowed his head in meditation, is a resourceful and resourceful person; A young man, full of vigor and bright smile, shows that this young soldier is full of confidence in victory and has a lively and cheerful personality. Compared with the childish figure sculptures in the Warring States period, it is really surprising that the Qin Dynasty created such vivid and lifelike large-scale figure colored sculptures in a short time. And the shaping of Ma Tao is equally amazing. The image of a horse is vigorous, straight, symmetrical and accurate in structure. In modeling, it focuses on depicting the characteristics of war horses, such as holding their heads high and raising their tails, or screaming with their mouths open, hunching their ears, stretching their nostrils and focusing their eyes, giving people a feeling of jumping and eager to gallop on the battlefield, which embodies a magnificent and healthy spirit. The pottery horse in the Qinling Mountains is the real beginning of the ancient horse sculpture art in China. Third, although the overall conception of Qin figurines is based on the spirit of actual combat, it does not directly describe the battle scene, but chooses the scene before the battle. The postures of Tao Bing and Ma Tao are mostly static, and the repetition of many upright static bodies constitutes a huge solemn and silent scene.

This is a kind of silence before the storm. In this terrible silence, there is a great force that is about to erupt, giving people an overwhelming momentum. However, a few figurines, such as vertical shooting figurines and kneeling figurines, take a dynamic performance. The general buckled his left arm with his right hand, and the strength of his wrist was very clear. There are charioteers holding chariots and leaping horses in front of their arms, which enhance the inner vitality of characters and horses and break the great silence to some extent. The beauty of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses in Qin Shihuang's Mausoleum lies in their movement in silence and their change in unity.

Archaeological Discovery of Terracotta Warriors and Horses in Qin Shihuang Mausoleum

20 10, 10 in June, the third archaeological excavation of pit 1 of Qin terracotta warriors and horses made another important discovery. The archaeological team announced the discovery of two lacquer drums and a complete crossbow pottery fabric relic, which can be described as "treasures" in the pit of Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses. Lacquer drum and crossbow tower have also been found before, but the surface of lacquer drum and the complete fabric of crossbow tower are discovered for the first time, so they are called "treasures among treasures".

Lacquer drum is a war drum used to direct battles in terracotta warriors and horses. According to the introduction of the archaeological team, this archaeological excavation adopted the "meticulous work" style of small-area anatomy, and accidentally discovered two painted drums. Unfortunately, the upper drum surface sank due to the superposition of silt and adhered to the lower drum surface, and the complete face of the lacquer drum could not be seen, but this discovery revealed the true face of the lacquer drum surface for the first time. The paintings on cultural relics in the past disappeared when they were unearthed in the air and could not be preserved. Before the third archaeological excavation of No.1 pit began, the technology of protecting painted drums was developed, so painted drums were rediscovered like painted terracotta warriors and horses.

Crossbow pottery is a kind of textile, and it is a bag for holding crossbows. According to the introduction of the archaeological team, the total length of crossbow pottery excavated this time is 150 cm, which falls off at the foot of the pottery figurines. The fabric structure and surface coating can be clearly seen, and even the white stitching marks on the edge of the fabric can be distinguished. For this discovery, the natural environment in Shaanxi is not conducive to the preservation of textiles. After thousands of years, the previously discovered crossbow tower has become fragmented, and it is rare to see such a complete crossbow tower, so it is also an important discovery. (fortune telling)

What are the characteristics of the terracotta warriors and horses in Qin Shihuang's mausoleum?

The shaping of Terracotta Warriors and Horses is basically based on real life, with delicate and vivid techniques. Every clay figurine has different clothes and manners. There are many kinds of hairstyles, different gestures and different facial expressions. From their costumes, expressions and gestures, we can tell whether they are officers or soldiers, infantry or cavalry. Generally speaking, all the faces of the Qin figurines reveal the unique majesty and composure of the Qin people, with distinctive personality and strong characteristics of the times.

Terracotta warriors and horses sculpture is a combination of painting and plastic. Although it has a long history, when it was first discovered, the colors painted on people's faces and clothes were still faintly visible. The technique is vivid, the composition is ingenious, and the technique is flexible, which is both authentic and decorative. Because of this, Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses occupy an important position in the history of sculpture in China. From the unearthed 1000 pieces of pottery figurines and pottery horses, almost none of them are the same.

After Qin unified the six countries, Qin implemented the national conscription system, and soldiers came from all over the country, which is probably the main reason for their differences in face, expression and age. Craftsmen use realistic artistic techniques to express very realistically, and this huge group of Qin figurines contains many obviously different individuals, which makes the whole group more active, real and full of life.

Thousands of pottery figures and horses are carefully drawn. The face, hands and feet of the terracotta figures are all pink, showing the texture of muscles. Especially the face painting is particularly wonderful. White eyes, black eyes, and even the pupils of the eyes are vividly painted. The bun, beard and eyebrows of pottery figurines are all black. The overall color is gorgeous and harmonious. At the same time, the painting of pottery figurines also pays attention to the contrast of colors, and there are differences among individuals as a whole. Different colors of clothing form a sharp contrast, which enhances the artistic appeal. Ma Tao also has bright and harmonious paintings, which make the static image of Ma Tao more vivid.