The preservation of the 2,000 year old relics surprise many archeologists
Chinese archeologist have unearthed over 100 new terracotta warriors along with pottery horses, chariot parts, weapons, tools and intricately designed shields.
What makes this discovery very important is the preservation, as well as how much of its original form each piece retained. Shen Maosheng from the Qin Shihuangdi Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum said, “The most significant discovery this time around is that the relics that were found were well-preserved and colorfully painted.”
After 2,000, years the color preservation surprised archeologist in comparison to other finds where color was almost non-existent. Another surprising feature of the newly found terracotta warriors are the eyeballs. The colors of their eyeballs are black and taupe. One surprisingly has red eyes, and eyelashes were painted on one of the figures.
The archeologists’ discovery was made in No. 1 Pit of the Qin’s Mausoleum.
The most important find among the terracotta soldiers was a shield. According to China Daily, in the three pits that terracotta warriors lay, a shield hasn’t been discovered. The shield was found on the right side of a chariot. It is about 70 centimeters in height and 50 centimeters wide.
Experts say the size of the shield is evidence to the shields in the Qin Dynasty. The shield that was discovered was twice as large as the bronze shields found among bronze chariots and horses, and during Qin times, those shields were produced half the size as actual shields.
Other impressive finds were eight officials and one senior official. The armor of the officials is designed with more complexity, and the patterns are more “delicate and exquisite” lamented Xu Weihong, executive director of the excavation team.
The terracotta warriors were originally created to protect Qin Shihuangdi in the afterlife. The Qin was known to unify the many kingdoms of China and ruled with brute force.
