Submitted by Michael Kan on Thu, 01/28/2010 - 16:39
According to archaeologist Liu Qingzhu, trying to name the most important discoveries in China is like facing another, albeit seemingly more simple, question — which one tastes better: dumplings or rice?
“Southerners from China will say rice is better, but northerners will say dumplings,” Liu said. “Then Westerners will say they like French food and that bread is good.”
Listing the most important archaeological discoveries faces similar difficulties, he added. One finding may have had more relevance for one region of China, while not affecting the other. China’s history is also long and not so easy to cover. Still, Liu said there are certain archaeological finds that have not only helped our understanding of China, but also the world.
While Qin Shi Huang united China in the 3rd century BC, his family has controlled territory in the country from as far back as the 9th century BC.
Their territory was based on the western frontier of the country and was called Qin. This jade pendant was used by a Duke of Qin, ancestor of the First Emperor, 350 years before Emperor Qin even existed. It will be featured in the exhibit The Warrior Emperor and China’s Terracotta Army, set to open at the Royal Ontario Museum, in Toronto Canada, in late June.
The rule of the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, represented a bit of an aberration in Chinese art. He is the only emperor, in Chinese history, who insisted that life-size terracotta figures be built.
After the emperor’s death Chinese artists went back to creating small-scale figurines of warriors, civilians and animals. Among these figurines is this terracotta representation of a dog, created for the first emperor of the Han dynasty, Emperor Gaozu (Liu Bang). Dogs were common in China by this point and were presumably used for either hunting or companionship.
Horses were a mainstay of the army of the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. They were used to pull chariots and as mounts for cavalry units. Some of them were fitted with armour to protect them against arrows and melee weapons.
As such when the Terracotta Warriors was created a large number of life-size horses were built to aid them. Like their human counterparts these horses have individual flourishes that distinguish them from each other. War chariots have four horses apiece and horses meant for cavalry units appear to be taller but shorter in length. This particular horse is fitted with a saddle, suggesting that he (or she) is meant to be ridden.
The official announcement is coming a week today (January 27) but news continues to trickle out about the exhibition of the Terracotta Warriors of the First Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, set to hit Toronto in June.
Officials have been tight-lipped about this exhibit so what we've been hearing has been in drips and drabs.
UPDATE 07/01/10 - The CBC is now reporting that "final negotiations are underway to stage an exhibition of the famed Qin dynasty soldier figures." So unless some major problem occurs we should have a warriors announcement on January 27.
Heritage Key has just got confirmation that a major archaeology exhibition on Ancient China will be coming to the Royal Ontario Museum, in Toronto, this June.
Calling it a “very very large exhibition” Dr. Dan Rahimi, the museum’s Vice-President for Gallery Development, confirmed it in an interview with Heritage Key this morning. It will be held in the same gallery that was used for the Dead Sea Scroll exhibit that just wrapped up.
“My own feeling is that in a golden age, how can you make sure you are doing good work?” he added. “We can’t become impetuous. We must keep using our heads.”
Ancient history is full of blood-curdling bad guys and ghoulish girls, from the all-conquering Mongol chief Genghis Khan to the vengeful Queen of the Britons Boudicca.
With Halloween approaching – a celebration which has ancient roots in the pagan Celtic festival of Samhain – we give our run down of 10 top horrors from days gone by.
Better still, we give you some tips on how to get into costume and character for each too, so you can terrorise friends’ Halloween parties.
Linzi was the capital of the Qi people of ancient China from 859 BC to 221 BC. During the Spring and Autumn Period, it was the biggest and most poweful city in the region - a political, economic and cultural powerhouse. Linzi held out to the end as the State of Qin rose to dominance during the Warring States Period in China. The Qi were the last state of pre-Imperial China to be conquered by the Qin.
Submitted by Michael Kan on Wed, 10/14/2009 - 11:17
Although each of the Terracotta warriors was sculpted to be unique, one common physical trait they all share is a beard. But a new discovery has found that a handful of statues bear no facial hair, suggesting that the Terracotta army had teenaged soldiers enlisted in its ranks.
The Terracotta Army was built at the behest of China's first emperor more than 2,000 years ago, when beards were a must for all adult males. To have one was a matter of respect, and one way of dealing with criminals at the time was cutting off their beards as a form of punishment.
The official announcement is coming a week today (January 27) but news continues to trickle out about the exhibition of the 
Calling it a “very very large exhibition” Dr. Dan Rahimi, the museum’s Vice-President for Gallery Development, confirmed it in an interview with Heritage Key this morning. It will be held in the same gallery that was used for the 
