China’s Terracotta Warriors-ART 116

Terracotta Warriors took us back in the past during the warring kingdom of China where soldiers where brilliant and ruthless. This is more than 2000 years ago and the reason why most scientists, artists, and archaeologists are interested in exploring them is because the there was diversity and individuality among the warriors. Remember we are talking about clays warriors who were found in pits near the tomb of one of ancient Conqueror, Chang Chuang. The warriors were modeled with distinct facial features and they were buried with cultural objects. One of the discovery about the ancient terracotta worriers was the pottery figure rings and the archeologist who discovered this noted that they were replacing living things as burial objects. The First Empire tomb that was believed to have lived about 300 years disclosed an absolute scale and high level of craftsmanship in creating figurines such as actual life-size, horses, chariots, armor and warriors with different facials among the 8000 terracotta warriors. It made me believe that the ancient China empires had a culture of inheriting grave goods such as tiny tomb figurines as part of tradition. Using the neo-face facial recognition technology the 21st archeologist discovered that all the museum warriors displayed different shapes, chin sizes, nose eyes, and facial looks. Another discovery was done by archaeologist Lu Zhang Chun and as an expert on the weapons, he found something interesting. He discovered more than 30,000 arrowheads that were in different sizes in the pit with the warriors (MegaPintofWine, 2016). It makes me be believe how the ancient China culture supported warfare as part of their tradition. 

The Terracotta Warriors embody the material culture and civilization of ancient China during the reign of Empires in the Seven Kingdoms Period. Archeological evidence from the video material reveals the incredible innovation, power, wealth, and obsession with the immortality of the emperors of ancient China. The Mausoleums showcase the significant relationship between the emperors and their servants. The community believed that they needed to die with them and serve them even in their death. The Terracotta warriors showcase ancient civilization by replacing human sacrifice with clay fingerings to preserve the preciousness of life. A grave object that stands out from this week’s reading material is the Funeral Suit from the Western Han Dynasty belonging to Prince Liu Sheng. The suit was crafted using about 2500 jade plaques sewn with gold wire. We learn that the suit demonstrates Daoist belief in alchemy, by transforming minerals and chemicals on the body humans become precious minerals and achieve immorality. Apart from depicting material cultural, the grave object demonstrates the wealth and immense resources used by Han royals during burials and their spiritual beliefs. The Suit acted as an artifact personifying the complex cultural, philosophic; and ritual meanings of the Han Dynasty era (Chapter 6 Powerpoint). 

FUNERAL SUIT. Western Han dynasty, 
ca. 113 BCE. Jade and gold. Tomb 1, Mancheng. Hebei Provincial Museum, Shijiazhuang. Cultural Relics Publishing House, Beijing.

References
Chapter 6 lecture notes: Ritual and Elite Arts: The Neolithic Period to the First Empires
Chapter 6 PowerPoint.pdf 
MegaPintofWine. (2016). China’s Ghost Army (720p) [Video]. YouTube.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgY5rtV2wDgLinks to an external site