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The Terracotta Warriors
Digging Deep
Sometimes known as the eighth wonder of the world, the terracotta warriors were commissioned by the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang Di.
Archaeologists have only uncovered a small fraction of the total 'army' of figures - many of them smashed to pieces by the emperor's own people. Experts currently place the entire number of soldiers at 8,000 – with 130 chariots, 530 horses and 150 cavalry horses. So far only just over 1,000 soldiers are on display at the now-famous mausoleum site near the ancient capital of Xi'an, Shaanxi province.
Excavations are now ongoing, but so far there are no attempts to break open the Emperor's tomb. Rumour has it that Qin Shi Huang is buried surrounded by a river of murcury, and scans have suggested that a giant pyramid may be surround the tomb. Nothing fancy then!
First Emperor
When Qin Shi Huang Di came to power he unified China and kick-started a long line of Chinese emperors. So far so good, but the reputation of the first emperor went rapidly downhill. He spent much of his time trying to track down an elixir that would guarentee his immortality (quaffing something that might or might not have been pure mercury, but which seemed to send him a little loopy) and, as a back-up plan, building a life-size army, to protect him in the afterlife.
Murdering his gang of workers after the job didn't endear him to the population either, and his plan backfired when many of the terracotta warriors were smashed to pieces immediately after his death.
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