From the Closer Look feature, discuss the historical significance of dynasty sculpture in the Tomb of Shihuangdi.

Question

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Answer 1

In 1974 peasants digging a well unearthed parts of a life-size clay soldier—a head, hands, and body. Archaeologists soon discovered an enormous subterranean pit beneath the fields containing an estimated 6,000 infantrymen, most standing four abreast in 11 parallel trenches paved with bricks. In 1976 and 1977, two smaller but equally spectacular sites were discovered north of the first one, containing another 1,400 individual warriors and horses, complete with metal weaponry. The location was east of the Qin dynasty burial mound of Emperor Shihuangdi. It is very likely that the practice of fashioning clay replicas of humans for burial at mausoleum sites replaced an earlier practice of actual human sacrifice. The bodies of most of the soldiers in the tomb appear to have been mass-produced in molds. No two heads are alike; each possesses unique, individual facial features. They were subsequently painted in vivid colors, and most carried actual weapons.