Mystery Unfolds as Tourist with Mental Illness Wreaks Havoc on Ancient Chinese Terracotta Warriors
But soon after Huang’s death in 210 B.C.E, the Qin dynasty quickly and violently collapsed. Marauders descended upon the Terracotta Army and stole their real weapons. Amid the violence, a fire broke out and caused the building to collapse upon the warriors, smashing many of them.
And then, for centuries, the Terracotta Army was forgotten.
Public DomainMany terracotta soldiers were found broken and subsequently reassembled.
It wasn’t until 1974 that the Terracotta Army was rediscovered by total accident. That March, a group of peasants were digging a well when they came upon a fragment of a clay figure. This one shard led to more pieces, which led to even more, until thousands of terracotta warriors were unearthed.
Archaeologists estimate that there are some 8,000 figures in all, though there could be more. Many have been reassembled and put on display alongside terracotta horses and ancient bronze weapons like swords, spear tips, and arrowheads that the original looters missed.
It’s a fascinating ancient site and a symbol of one man’s immense power. Forgotten and then rediscovered, the Terracotta Army is one of the most incredible archaeological finds in recent memory. It’s lucky that the tourist who leaped into a pit at the museum in Xi’an didn’t do more damage.
After reading about the tourist who damaged two warriors of China’s Terracotta Army, look through these stunning photos of China’s uninhabited “Ghost Cities.” Or, discover the sad story of Empress Wanrong, the wife of the last emperor of China.
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