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It's about time there was a thread about The tomb of Emperor Qinshihuang (259 BC-210 BC), China's First Emperor.
The outlying ceremonial burials of some eight thousand, life size, terracotta warriors, and horses (real and terracotta), have already been unearthed, but the immense mound which covers his fabulous mausoleum, remains unexcavated. It has been suggestd that even the Chinese government is afraid to disturb the last resting place of the First Emperor, in case bad luck should follow.
Let's hope that human curiosity overcomes natural Chinese caution, soon.
The outlying ceremonial burials of some eight thousand, life size, terracotta warriors, and horses (real and terracotta), have already been unearthed, but the immense mound which covers his fabulous mausoleum, remains unexcavated. It has been suggestd that even the Chinese government is afraid to disturb the last resting place of the First Emperor, in case bad luck should follow.
People's Daily: China to Remote Sense Mysterious Tomb of First Emperor
Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, December 13, 2002
Chinese scientists and archaeologists will survey the Mausoleum of Emperor Qinshihuang (259 BC-210 BC), the first emperor of China's feudal dynasties, using remote sensing and geophysical techniques in a bid to unravel the historical mystery.
Chinese scientists and archaeologists will survey the Mausoleum of Emperor Qinshihuang (259 BC-210 BC), the first emperor of China's feudal dynasties, using remote sensing and geophysical techniques in a bid to unravel the historical mystery.
As a key project of the National High Technology Research and Development Program, the survey is by far the most comprehensive research ever on the mausoleum and set to end by Sept. 2003.
"We will use aerial remote sensing and geophysical techniques to identify the position, depth and basic structure of the underground palace, as well as the 60-square-km area surrounding the tomb," said Guan Haiyan, the project's senior engineer.
"At that time, people can tell whether or not there were mercurial rivers and lakes underground and whether the historical records told the truth," said Guan, also director of the Shaanxi Remote Sensing Center.
Located 36 kilometers east of Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, the grand mausoleum was the eternal resting place for Ying Zheng, or Emperor Qinshihuang, who unified China for the first time.
According to historical records, it took 700,000 people 36 years to build the luxurious underground tomb, where mercury was used to imitate rivers and lakes, numerous treasures and women were buried with the dead emperor.
However, the actual structure and position of the mausoleum remain a mystery despite several surveys conducted since the 1970s.
So far, only three vaults containing thousands of terra-cotta figures have been found 1.5 kilometers east of the mausoleum, and two sets of large bronze chariots and horses were excavated west of the mausoleum.
Discovery of the buried legion, or terra-cotta horses and warriors, has aroused great interest worldwide, making it "the eighth wonder of the world." However, this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Legends of the fabulous layout of the tomb, with it's eternal flame torches and exact model of the Emperor's domain layed out, complete with rivers and lakes of mercury, sound like something out of Indiana Jones, or Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian tales!China Daily: Location of first emperor's tomb pinpointed
28-11-2003
Chinese archeologists have identified the exact location of the underground mausoleum of China's first emperor, sources at China's Ministry of Science and Technology said here Thursday.
The find was made by members of an electromagnetic survey team under the "863" high-technology program, and was checked and accepted by the science ministry Thursday.
The underground mausoleum of the emperor who first unified China, Qinshihuang (259-210 BC), is exactly under the mound which has long been thought to mark the spot. The research group has also determined that water has not entered the main coffin chamber,said Liu Shiyi, director of the group.
According the survey, the mausoleum, is in the form of an "underground palace," while the coffin chamber is 80 m long and 50 m wide.
"But we will have no idea of what is buried there until a full-scale excavation is launched," said Liu, also a scientist at the China Geological Survey Bureau.
Located near the city of Xi'an, in northwestern China, the tombhas not yet been opened, but some of the thousands of life-size terra-cotta warriors guarding the dead emperor, unearthed in the 1970s in the surroundings, are a major tourist attraction.
Let's hope that human curiosity overcomes natural Chinese caution, soon.