Terracotta Warriors

The exhibition here includes some actual terracotta warriors and horses from the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. The Emperor had thousands of warriors, horses and other figures made in terracotta to accompany him into the afterlife. These were buried in a vast mausoleum which was discovered in 1974. Among the figures on display at the Shaanxi History Museum is the Kneeling Archer, a statue discovered in the second terracotta warrior pit in 1977. The 122 cm high figure is clad in armour with his hair arranged in a coil on one side of his head. The figure, kneels on his right leg and originally held a bow in his hand. For more information about the Qin Shi Huang, visit the nearby Museum of Terracotta Warriors and Horses on the site of the mausoleum itself.