XI'AN, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- Another 25 pottery figurines were discovered in Pit No.1 of the iconic museum housing Terracotta Warriors in northwest China's Shaanxi Province in 2021, among which the medium- and high-ranking officer figurines are significant to the study of military arrays in the pit.
According to Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum, these terracotta warriors with well-preserved colored paint were unearthed in the middle section of the north part of Pit No.1. Most of them were excavated behind the remains of chariots including one general figurine and one medium-ranking officer figurine.
After the research on medium- and high-ranking officer figurines, especially those unearthed in Pit No.1, archeologists noted that the army in Pit No.1 is likely to be symmetrically arranged in the north-south direction and east-west direction.
To ensure the safety of the figurines and the environment, archeologists have transferred them to the conservation room and dealt with mold in the pit.
Discovered in 1974, the army of Terracotta Warriors was built by Emperor Qinshihuang of the Qin Dynasty (221 B.C.-207 B.C.), who unified China for the first time.
Pit No.1, the largest burial pit excavated so far, covers an area of 14,260 square meters. According to the arrangement of the army, more than 6,000 terracotta warriors and horses could be unearthed in the pit after full excavation. ■
