Pod Insights Hot History The Terracotta Warriors About this episode Okay guys today we are scratching the surface (no pun intended) on the terracotta warriors, the massive subterranean army built to protect the first emperor of China - Qin Shi Huang! Discovered in 1974 by Chinese farmers while digging a well, this is the story of how one of history's greatest archaeological discoveries was made AND how it changed the game forever!
Transcript 0:00 Speaker 00 Hello and welcome back to a brand new episode of Hot History. If you're new here, hi. I'm your host, Ainslie Harvey, lover of all things history and all things hot. And I am so excited to have you listening along as we talk about all the things in history that you probably should know, but don't. In today's episode, we are covering one of history's greatest achievements and archaeological discoveries: The Terracotta Warriors.
0:41 Speaker 00 So first things first, what the hell are the Terracotta Warriors? Well, they are the massive underground army made of clay that was buried over 2,000 years ago in the tomb of Xin Shi Huang, the first emperor of a unified China. And I really do mean first here, guys. This man declared himself emperor in 221 BCE, after conquering all the warring states and pulling a complete takeover of the entire political system. But we'll get to more on him later. Right now, we're focusing on the warriors themselves. So, picture this, guys. It's 1974. We are in rural Shanji Province, China, near the city of Xi'an. We're a group of local farmers. We're digging a well.
1:26 Speaker 00 It's drought. We need water. And all of a sudden, we hit something hard, which, the automatic assumption, is a rock or maybe some kind of ancient brick. But no, it turns out that we've just stumbled across the edge of one of the biggest archaeological finds of the entire 20th century: An entire underground army of life-size clay, soldiers, horses, chariots, and weapons, turning us, simple, everyday farmers, into the heroes of the 21st century. But to first understand the significance of this find, we have to rewind a couple of millennia back to Xin Shi Huang.
2:09 Speaker 00 Now, as I said at the top, Xin Shi Huang wasn't just any ruler. He was bold, he was brittle. He banned books, burned scholars and built the early parts of the Great Wall. And he did a lot, but ruling one world simply was not enough for him. He wanted to conquer the next one too. And as such, he commissioned an entire army to follow him into the afterlife. Now, this wasn't just some small pet side project like, "Hey artisans of the time, make me a couple of decorative urns that will look cute in my grave." No, we are talking about over 8,000 soldiers, hundreds of horses, chariots and dozens of generals, archers and cavalrymen,
2:52 Speaker 00 which were all life-sized and buried in complete battle formation. And these aren't just cookie cutter statues that we're talking about, guys. These soldiers each had a completely unique face, like different eyebrows, different ears, different lips. Some look sleepy, some look smug, some are furious and all of them were sculpted with such terrifying detail that experts today believe that they were most likely modeled after real people. But how does such a grand task get pulled off? Well, historical sources estimate that it took around 700,000 laborers working on Emperor Xin's mausoleum complex. Seven hundred thousand.
3:36 Speaker 00 That's like the entire population of Bhutan came together and said, "Let's build the biggest underground complex in world history, guys." And this wasn't just a grave, oh no, this was an entire complex with booby traps to prevent tomb raiders, replica palaces, servants, musicians, acrobats, all of whom were buried underground to serve the emperor in eternity. And at the heart of it all lies the actual tomb of Xin Shi Huang himself, which, by the way, has never been opened. That's right, the actual burial chamber of the first emperor of China has not been excavated. Why? Well, there's a few reasons.
4:20 Speaker 00 Firstly, it's extremely fragile. Two, there are fears of then damaging the contents. And three, and most importantly, guys, ancient texts have described in detail that there are rivers of mercury inside the tomb and certain death for those that enter.
4:38 Speaker 00 Now you may be thinking, Ainsley, this isn't Lara Croft or Indiana Jones here, this is real life, but chances are that these warnings are accurate with tests showing high levels of mercury in the surrounding soil. So for once, we've decided correctly not to open this particular historical box. But let's focus back on the warriors themselves now. Enough of the doom and gloom and booby traps, I'm sick of it. Now, I am so thrilled to talk to you guys about the terracotta warriors. I got the amazing opportunity to see them for the very first time this week at the Western Australia Museum. The team there were kind enough to host me for a preview gala dinner before the exhibition opens to
5:22 Speaker 00 the public. And this is the first time many of the pieces have ever left China and the only place they're being shown in Australia. So if you are able and Aus-side, you should definitely come and see them for yourself. Now, the warriors, as the name suggests, are made of terracotta, which is a fancy word for baked clay. And these guys truly are life-size, which is like already wild. You see them in person, you kind of can't believe it, but most are between 175 and 195 centimetres tall, which is roughly 5'9" to 6'4". So taller than the average man of the time. Apparently, Qin Shi Huang was not a short king enthusiast.
6:01 Speaker 00 Now, each figure was constructed in parts. You have the head, the arms, the legs and the torsos, which were created separately and then assembled into the various poses that they are found in. And this is completely dependent upon who they are and what their rank is. The archers, for example, are all kneeling, while the generals stand proud and the horses look like they are mid-trot. It is true military choreography frozen in clay. And the detail, guys, let me tell you, it is next level. They have braided hairstyles, they have different armour types, they even have tread patterns on the soles of their shoes. But here's the kicker.
6:44 Speaker 00 They were originally painted in incredibly vibrant colours like hot pinks, bright blues, eye-searing greens. But unfortunately, the pigment disintegrated rapidly after excavation due to exposure to air. So we are not able to see the true effect today. But still, seeing them in person is so incredibly humbling. You can't even imagine them being fit out in their total pigment. It would have just been an incredible sight to behold. Talking of which, let's look at their legacy. Now, the terracotta army isn't just an incredible archaeological find. It is a total game changer in how we understand ancient China.
7:29 Speaker 00 Before their discovery, most knowledge about Xin Shi Huang came from ancient texts, written by people who, spoiler alert, didn't always like him. So historians thought he was a paranoid tyrant who was too obsessed with immortality. Now, however, we know he was also a paranoid tyrant who was a logistical genius. The true scale, coordination and innovation behind the terracotta army suggests an administrative system that was light years ahead of its time. This was industrial level production. He would have had assembly lines, specialised labour, artists and sculptors
8:13 Speaker 00 that were mass producing detailed statues using modular parts. It's literally like a clay factory meets the military industrial complex. Truly, Henry Ford is quaking in his boots, guys. This discovery has also reshaped how we talk about funerary practices. I mean, sure, ancient Egyptians built pyramids and yes, the Vikings loved a good funeral boat. But an entire subterranean army takes the whole I'm gonna take it with me thing to Olympian heights.
8:48 Speaker 00 So what happened to this site after it was built? Why was it only recently discovered by farmers? Well, the reason for that is it was sealed for literally thousands of years. And over time, the tomb site faded into memory. The dynasty that followed, for example, the Han, didn't really hype up the emperor's ghost army, probably because they were trying to look less fucking crazy. And the complex wasn't marked on maps, so that's how it became farmland. People plowed literally right over it for centuries, until, like I said, in nineteen seventy four, when a well-digging mission became the greatest accidental find. Since then, excavation efforts have revealed four pits in total, three with soldiers and one apparently unfinished.
9:33 Speaker 00 And only a fraction of the tomb complex has ever been explored, like I said. That's really the wildest part. These guys have barely scratched the surface. There could be thousands more soldiers, horses and statues still buried, not to mention whatever the fuck is lurking in the actual tomb itself. More mercury rivers? Ancient tech? A jade sarcophagus? We do not know. Now, how did this clay parade live on in modern times? Well, for starters, the Terracotta Army is one of China's top tourist attractions. Over a million people visit the site every year and it's been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And really, a national symbol of China's ancient grandeur and artistic might. In pop culture?
10:19 Speaker 00 Well, it's also made the rounds. The warriors make appearances in everything from The Mummy, Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, to Tomb Raider, Doctor Who, and even Lego Ninjago. There's also a ballet, an opera, a handful of documentaries, and about ninety million kids who've done a school project on them. And in terms of influence, well, the discovery has inspired new questions about ancient manufacturing, military organisation, and even ancient robotics. Okay, guys, before we wrap up, let's talk impact. Now, as I've said, the Terracotta Warriors gives us an insight into a time when the modern concept of China was just being born. Qin Shi Huang's unification of the warring states, introduction of standard currency,
11:04 Speaker 00 written script, measurements, and even axle widths helped lay the foundations for 2,000 years of Chinese imperial rule. And the Warriors, they are his lasting material legacy. In a way, they're really the ultimate PR campaign. You want to be remembered forever? Forget writing a memoir. Simply build 8,000 statues of people who can't talk back and bury them with your corpse. It's truly narcissism on a scale that not even Louis XIV or Caesar could imagine. And there you have it. The Terracotta Warriors, a ghost army, a clay legacy, and a 2,000-year-old flex which
11:46 Speaker 00 keeps Qin Shi Huang top of mind to this day. And that brings us to the end of a bite-sized episode of Hot History for you guys. If you would like to support us, then you can follow us or even leave a review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts as Hot History. Follow along on TikTok at hot/history as well as Instagram at Hot History Club. As always, it is a pleasure getting down and dirty in time with you. And tune in next week for a very special episode of Hot History from the land of Wiener Stiftels itself, Austria, as we discuss the real family behind the historical hit The Sound of Music, The Von Trapps.
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