Terracotta Soldier
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In 221 BC King Zheng united all of what is now China and renamed himself Qin Shihuangdi (“First Emperor of Qin”), although ‘united’ is rather a tranquil word to be using for the bloody conquest of the region’s small polities.
Qin Shihuangdi died in 210 BC, and the Qin dynasty was quickly extinguished within a few years by the early members of the Han dynasty. But, during the brief period of Shihuangdi’s rule, a remarkable testament to his control of the countryside and its resources was constructed: a semi-subterranean mausoleum complex and an army of 7,000 life-size sculpted clay terracotta soldiers, chariots, and horses.
In 221 BC King Zheng united all of what is now China and renamed himself Qin Shihuangdi (“First Emperor of Qin”), although ‘united’ is rather a tranquil word to be using for the bloody conquest of the region’s small polities.
Qin Shihuangdi died in 210 BC, and the Qin dynasty was quickly extinguished within a few years by the early members of the Han dynasty. But, during the brief period of Shihuangdi’s rule, a remarkable testament to his control of the countryside and its resources was constructed: a semi-subterranean mausoleum complex and an army of 7,000 life-size sculpted clay terracotta soldiers, chariots, and horses.