An army of over 8,000 soldiers, 500 horses, 100 chariots, and
millions of tourists annually. This is what China’s first great
emperor, Qin Shi Huang, who also began construction of China’s
Great Wall, needed with him as he journeyed to the afterlife.
The so called Terra Cotta Army was commissioned around 200 BCE.
Each member of the army has a different, unique face and is made
with solid legs to carry a hollow, terracotta body. The heads
were actually attached later as the bodies needed a vent in
order to allow hot air to escape while being hardened in the
oven. The army consists of foot soldiers, archers, calvary men
and generals all over 6 feet tall. The construction of the army
was likely one of the first uses of the assembly line, despite
what Ford might try to tell you. The army had been forgotten by
history until 1974 when a local farmer happened upon a large
head while trying to dig a well. This farmer now sits about 100
meters from the site of his failed well with an autograph pen in
his hand and in f