Terracotta Warriors coming to Calgary's Glenbow Museum

Fresh from shows in Washington D.C. and Toronto, 18 Terracotta Warriors will make their debut at Calgary's Glenbow Museum next summer. The 18 statues, the afterlife bodyguards of China's First Qin Emperor - of which 8,000 have been excavated so far - will be joined by some brand new archaeological relics from the emperor's giant tomb including two horses and a painting, as well and hundreds of other artefacts associated with the warriors.

It's a big coup for the museum, who will expect blockbuster attendances akin to those seen at D.C.'s National Geographic Museum and the Royal Ontario Museum. The First Qin Emperor's mausoleum is one of ancient history's enduring enigmas, and is still being excavated 36 years after its discovery by farmers in 1974. Just last week another 114 warriors were discovered, hitting headlines worldwide.

Qin Shi Huang was the first emperor to successfully unite China 2,200 years ago. His monumental mausoleum, near the ancient capital city of Xi'an, took 700,000 conscripts around 36 years to complete, just in time for his death.

Further reading:

Top 10 Terracotta Warriors facts

Beardless warriors evident of teenage conscripts?

Video of the Qin Mausoleum excavations

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Sean Williams (follow me: e-mail or )

Last three pieces by this author:

New York's Met Museum Records Best Attendance since 2001 | Bettany Hughes Publications you Can't go Without | 3,200-year-old Chariot Linchpin 'Proves Ancient Egyptian City in Israel'

Sean is an English Literature graduate, who currently works as a writer and journalist in London. He enjoys ancient history, theatre and sport. He does not enjoy Big Brother.