The Long and Loyal Vigil...a discovery that startled archeologists. (standard:non fiction, 1264 words)
Author: pjt	Added: Feb 16 2001	Views/Reads: 3768/2231	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
In March 1974 some Chinese peasants digging in a field near the ancient city of Xian made a startling archeological discovery. The history of what they found is a fascinating story.

March 1974: Some peasants are digging a well on land near the tomb of
unified China’s first emperor, Qin (Ch'in) Shi Huang. The site is about 
thirty-seven kilometers from China’s original capital, the ancient city 
of Xian and about one thousand kilometers southeast of the modern 
capital, Beijing. They discover something that will startle the world 
of archeology and provide fresh insights into the life and times of Qin 
Shi Huang: the soon-to-be famous terracotta army, still guarding their 
emperor after more than two thousand years. 

Later excavations revealed that the army was buried in three pits. At
the time of my visit to Xian in 1988, most of No. 1 pit had been 
excavated and the other two were being dug out. Since this significant 
archeological find, the whole area has been covered by an enormous 
building and has become a popular destination for tourists from all 
around the globe. 

In 1980 the continuing excavations have led to another stunning find: on
the west side of Qin Shi Huang’s tomb the excavators unearthed two 
full-scale bronze chariots and life-size bronze horses decorated with 
gold and silver. Archeologists have speculated that these magnificent 
relics are only part of a procession of chariots carrying images of 
members of the emperor’s family, concubines, members of the nobility 
and officials of the emperor’s court. 

I was presented with the opportunity to see these remarkable finds at
first hand in the northern summer of 1988 when I visited Xian, an 
ancient city, which served as the capital of China for twelve dynasties 
over eleven hundred years. These dynasties have left many priceless 
relics in and around Xian. The ones that made the greatest impression 
on me were the Banpo neolithic village, the Qin Shi Huang mausoleum 
with its guardian, the terracotta army, and the vanguard of the 
procession of bronze horse-drawn chariots and their drivers. 

One early morning I picked up a “cheapie” fare on a minibus tour from
Xian railway station and, after driving through some spectacularly 
beautiful countryside, arrived at the Banpo neolithic village. A museum 
had been built over the site a matriarchal clan community occupied over 
six thousand years ago. 

I was able to imagine how the people lived there, the manner of their
lifestyle all those centuries ago: each part of the village and its 
function was clearly identifiable -the signs in English helped, of 
course. There was also an exhibition of primitive art from that era, 
and it was interesting to note the transition of style and technique 
over the centuries, with early literal representations changing to more 
impressionistic styles. Among other items, I was amazed to find 
re-constructions of primitive dwellings, some complete with household 
accessories. There was a lot more to see and reflect upon, but now we 
had to move on to the exhibition of the emperor’s terracotta army. 

The sight took my breath away! Before me, in battle formation, stood a
great army of one thousand soldiers and horses. As I walked around the 
gallery looking down into the pit which had been their headquarters for 
over two thousand years, I was intrigued to note that each soldier and 
officer had his own personality: some looked grim, some looked happy 
with expressions ranging from slight amusement to outright smiles; and 
each face and figure was unique. 

Now and again I saw soldiers kneeling on one knee with arms
outstretched. I eventually came to the conclusion that these were the 
archers of the army. They had been dutifully kneeling at the ready for 
thousands of years, but time and unknown circumstances had taken away 
their bows and arrows. “What happened,” I pondered, “to their bows and 
arrows?” No answer came! 

And now it was time to visit the two big Qin dynasty copper chariots and
horses and their drivers. I had to push my way through a large crowd of 
tourists in order to get a glimpse of these fine examples of early 
Chinese military art. What I saw was what archeologists have speculated 
to be the vanguard of a ceremonial procession containing the oldest 
bronze chariots and horses ever found in China. 

At this stage it is not known how many more figures will be found to
make up the ceremonial procession, which is a vault west of the 
emperor’s mausoleum. However, since my visit to the vault situated east 


Click here to read the rest of this story (51 more lines)