Tomb of the First Emperor .rll-youtube-player, [data-lazy-src]{display:none !important;} HOME ABOUT ABOUT US CONTACT US EDITORIAL HERITAGE COM MOBILE APP HERITAGE MAGAZINE NEWSLETTER SHOP PAST SCIENCES ANTHROPOLOGY ARCHAEOLOGY HERITAGE PALAEONTOLOGY PALAEOANTHROPOLOGY GEOSCIENCE CLIMATE CHANGE GEOLOGY NATURAL HISTORY SPACE & PLANETARY GENERAL SCIENCE BIOLOGY CHEMISTRY PHYSICS POLITICS TECH & ENGINEERING TRAVEL ALL REGIONS AFRICA ASIA EUROPE NORTH AMERICA SOUTH AMERICA INTERESTING BIOGRAPHIES MAPS HERITAGE LISTS Search HOME ABOUT ABOUT US CONTACT US EDITORIAL HERITAGE COM MOBILE APP HERITAGE MAGAZINE NEWSLETTER SHOP PAST SCIENCES ANTHROPOLOGY ARCHAEOLOGY HERITAGE PALAEONTOLOGY PALAEOANTHROPOLOGY GEOSCIENCE CLIMATE CHANGE GEOLOGY NATURAL HISTORY SPACE & PLANETARY GENERAL SCIENCE BIOLOGY CHEMISTRY PHYSICS POLITICS TECH & ENGINEERING TRAVEL ALL REGIONS AFRICA ASIA EUROPE NORTH AMERICA SOUTH AMERICA INTERESTING BIOGRAPHIES MAPS HERITAGE LISTS Search The Terracotta Warriors - Image Credit : Hotel Kaesong - CC BY-SA 2.0 Ancient Ruins Tomb of the First Emperor Share FacebookTwitterLinkedinReddItEmailPrintCopy URL The tomb of the First Qin Emperor is a large mausoleum complex located in the Shaanxi province of China. The mausoleum was constructed by Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China, and the founder of the Qin Dynasty. Qin Shi Huang was responsible for the unification of China and several diverse walls into the Great Wall of China, a national road system, the Lingqu Canal, and the enactment of several major economic and political reforms to standardise the Chinese states incorporated into his Empire. During his life, Qin Shi Huang became obsessed with immortality and sought the elixir of life out of fear of his own death. Men were sent in search of the fabled Penglai mountain (an island in the eastern end of Bohai Sea where the immortals lived) to find the magician Anqi Sheng in the hope of finding the secret of everlasting life. Qin Shi Huang died in 210 BC whilst touring Eastern China, with his death being reportedly attributed to alchemical elixir poisoning due to the ingestion of mercury pills (believing it to be an elixir of immortality). Tomb mound of Qin Shi Huang – Image Credit : Bill Tyne – CC BY-SA 2.0 In preparation, a large funerary complex was constructed underneath a large mound shaped like a truncated pyramid (reaching a height of 76 metres) that represents a microcosm of the Emperor’s empire and palace, with the wider mausoleum being modelled on the Qin capital Xianyang, comprising of an inner and outer city. Excavations around the complex discovered around 7,000 (estimates suggest up to 8,000) statues of terracotta warriors and horses, and about a hundred wooden battle chariots and numerous weapons which were placed to protect the emperor in his afterlife. Archaeologists have also discovered terracotta statues of officials, acrobats, strongmen, and musicians. Non-invasive studies of the tomb mound to detect magnetic anomalies has revealed an underground palace and a tomb chamber, which measures around 80 metres in length, 50 metres in width and about 15 metres in height. The Terracotta Warriors – Image Credit : Hotel Kaesong – CC BY-SA 2.0 Soil samples of the mound have detected high levels of mercury, which supports the accounts by Chinese historian Sima Qian that liquid mercury was used in the tomb to simulate the waterways and the seas (although it’s contested that the mercury could be a result of modern industrial pollution). The tomb mound remains unexcavated, with local sources citing that the current methods of excavating a site of this scale would likely result in irreparable damage. The State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH) has instead followed a process of research and evaluations to develop a protection plan before any long-term excavations can take place in the future. Header Image – The Terracotta Warriors – Image Credit : Hotel Kaesong – CC BY-SA 2.0 Share FacebookTwitterLinkedinReddItEmailPrintCopy URL Download the HeritageDaily mobile application on iOS and Android By Markus Milligan August 28, 2020 More on this topic Previous articleThe Mystery of the Longyou CavesNext articleCastle of Vlad III Dracula MORE RELATED ARTICLES Biology DNA resolves the complex relations between geography, ancestry, and gene flow in Scandinavia Archaeology Ancient code in Ice Age drawings solved Archaeology Remains of Portsmouth’s historic defences found during excavations at Southsea Castle Archaeology Mammoth kill site was a seasonal hunting camp Archaeology Kurgan tomb from lost culture discovered Anthropology Face of 19th-century ‘Connecticut vampire’ reconstructed LATEST NEWS Biology DNA resolves the complex relations between geography, ancestry, and gene flow in Scandinavia Archaeology Ancient code in Ice Age drawings solved Archaeology Remains of Portsmouth’s historic defences found during excavations at Southsea Castle Archaeology Mammoth kill site was a seasonal hunting camp Archaeology Kurgan tomb from lost culture discovered Anthropology Face of 19th-century ‘Connecticut vampire’ reconstructed Anthropology Byzantine monk chained with iron rings uncovered Anthropology The Art of Mummification Load more NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIPTION I accept the privacy rules of this site Popular stories Heritage The mystery of Tutankhamun’s meteoric iron dagger Heritage The origins of dragon mythology Heritage Atlantis – The story behind the legend Heritage The Immortal Armour of China’s Jade Burial Suits Travel The Pleasure Villa of Emperor Tiberius Heritage Germania – Hitler’s Megacity Load more HeritageDaily is part of the HeritageCom group of brands. - Registered Address: HeritageDaily LTD - Suite/Unit 40 17 Holywell Hill, St Albans, Herts, United Kingdom, AL1 1DT Company Info About Us Shop & Merchandise HeritageCom Terms & Conditions Cookies Policy Contact Us Social Networks FacebookInstagramLinkedinTwitter We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website. 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