The history of the discovery, excavation, construction, and features of the Terracotta Army, as well as a brief biography of its creator, the first Emperor of China. Great for a class presentation. Approximately 10-20 minutes long to present.

2. The eight wonder of the world

3.  The Terracotta Army is an army of 8,000 clay figures built with the
purpose of protecting China’s first Emperor in his afterlife, as well as a
demonstration of glory and power
 Each of the soldiers were sculpted using a raw terracotta clay mixture
 It’s currently one of the largest museum attractions in China, and is
considered to be one of the greatest discoveries of the 20th century

4.  The Terracotta Army was discovered on March 29th, 1974 in
Lintong District, Xi’an, in the central province
of Shaanxi, China
 It was discovered by a Chinese peasant named
Yang Zhifa when he and a group of farmers were
digging a well for their corporate farm
 Yang noticed a round piece of terracotta in the
soil. Thinking it could be reused as a bowl or pot,
he excavated it, revealing a neck and torso as well
 Yang brought it to a local museum, where they
dated it to 3000 BCE and bought it from him for
CNY30 (approximately 6.23 Canadian dollars)

5.  Shortly after examining Yang Zhifa’s terracotta soldier, the
museum decided to investigate the site for more treasure
 The archeologist crew discovered four major pits filled with
terracotta figures, along with thousands of weapons and armor
pieces
 The pits are located approximately
1.6 kilometers away from the first
Emperor’s tomb
 Excavation began in 1974, and is
still ongoing today after 41 years

6.  The first pit was the largest, being approximately 210 meters long and
62 meters wide (roughly the size of an airplane hangar)
 This pit contained over 6000 terracotta soldiers and horses, of which
only 1,000 have been unearthed so far.
Each soldier was equipped with
armor or a battle robe, as well as a
long spear, dragger, halberd, or other
type of weapon
 This pit is most well-known as the
“Main Army Pit” due to the
massive amount of soldiers and
horses excavated

8.  Second largest pit, consisting of 1,300 terracotta soldiers and
horses, over 80 war chariots, thousands of bronze weapons, and
measures approximately 6,000 square meters in total
 The pit consisted of four main units:
 This pit is most commonly known as
the “Army Array Pit” since it showed the
typical combat strategy of China’s army
1. Kneeling and Standing Archers
2. Chariot War Array
3. Mixed forces with Infantry, Chariots,
and Troops
4. Numerous troops wielding weapons

10.  This was the smallest pit, containing only 68 terracotta figures of
high-ranking officials and one war chariot
 Also contained various types of bronze weaponry, as well as gold,
stone, and bronze decorations
 No Commander-in-Chief was found in the pit
 This pit is considered as the
“Command Post” due to the
majority of the soldiers found in it
to be high-ranking officers

14.  Emperor Qin Shi Huang (formerly known as Ying Zheng) was the very first
Emperor of China
 He was born in 250 BCE and ascended the throne of Qin
at the early age of 13. Once in power, he began conquering
every independent country in China one by one. By the
year 221 BCE, all of China was unified under the power of
the Qin Dynasty
 He was a very intelligent leader, encouraging his subjects
to focus on agriculture, commerce, and literacy (specifically
the development of Chinese culture)
 His greatest achievements include the construction of the
Terracotta Army and the Great Wall of China

17.  Terracotta Army. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 27 Sept. 2015.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terracotta_Army>.
 "5 Things You Didn’t Know About China’s Terra-Cotta Army | TIME.com." NewsFeed 5 Things
You Didnt Know About Chinas TerraCotta Army Comments. Web. 28 Sept. 2015.
<http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/05/04/5-things-you-didnt-know-about-chinas-terracotta-
army/>.
 "History, Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places | Smithsonian." History, Travel, Arts, Science,
People, Places | Smithsonian. Web. 1 Oct. 2015.
<http://www.smithsonianmag.com/ist/?next=/history/terra-cotta-soldiers-on-the-march-
30942673/>.
 Rosenberg, Jennifer. "Terracotta Army Discovered in China." About Education. Web. 22 Sept.
2015.
 "Terracotta Army." , Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses, Xian. Web. 23 Sept. 2015.
<http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shaanxi/xian/terra_cotta_army/>.
 "Terracotta Army." , Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses, Xian. Web. 23 Sept. 2015.
<http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shaanxi/xian/terra_cotta_army/>.
 "The Terracotta Army - Why and How They Were Made." ChinaHighlights. Web. 27 Sept.
2015. <http://www.chinahighlights.com/xian/terracotta-army/>.