Terracotta Warriors

Our last destination in China was a visit to the Terracotta Warriors in Xian.  According to the Travel China Guide, “The Terracotta Warriors and Horses are the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century.”  A group of farmers uncovered the first evidence of the pottery while digging a well in 1974. The artifacts have been dated back to the Qin Dynasty (211-206 BC).  The discovery was listed by UNESCO as one of the World Cultural Heritage Sites, in 1987.

The area now includes a museum and 3 huge, covered pits where excavation is still continuing.  Altogether over 7,000 pottery soldiers, horses, chariots, and even weapons have been unearthed from these pits.  Each soldier is unique in stance, expression or costume.  The level of detail is amazing:  a raised eyebrow, a creased sleeve or a determined expression.  The magnitude of figures and the careful craftsmanship were truly astounding.

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I hope you’ve had a pleasant Labor Day.  Labor Day always seems like the last hooray  for summer, so I (sadly) changed out my summery blog banner with the sand-dollar beads, to a banner with more autumn-y colors.  This will be the first fall since I was five years old that I haven’t been returning to school.  I’m sending best wishes to all my teacher-friends who are heading back to work at this time.  ((hugs to each of you))