Emperor Qin's Terracotta Army

A very brief news story in the Guardian this week reported on the new discovery of tiny figurines at the on-going excavations at the 3rd century BC mausoleum of the Emperor Qin. The famous Chinese emperor Qin Shihuangdi is known for many things, among which is for being the first unifier of China, in the Qin dynasty of the third century BC (although 'unify' is a tame word for the brutal conquest of neighboring kingdoms his unification entailed). What the emperor is best known for, of course, is his huge necropolis, made up of thousands of life-size soldiers and horses. According to the brief report, excavators apparently believe the new figurines, only four inches tall, may predate the unification.

• Emperor Qin's Terracotta Army, an Army for the Afterlife
• The Terracotta Army of Shihuangdi, a photographic essay
• The First Emperor: The Man Who Made China, exclusive video from the Discovery Channel
• Qin Dynasty
• Archaeology of China
• 2,500-year-old figures may be terracotta army models, very brief news story from the Guardian

The photograph of an array of charioteers in Emperor Qin's tomb was taken by Amy Hirst.