In 221 B.C., Qin Shi Huangdi became China’s first emperor. He was just 13. He lived a long and prosperous life. The system of monarchy (rule by one person) survived even longer. It ended only in 1912. But it was Qin Shi Huangdi’s army that lasted longest of all.
In Qin Shi Huangdi’s giant tomb, rows and rows of clay soldiers stand guard. There are foot soldiers, crossbow shooters, charioteers, and others. The tomb was found in 1974. People were drilling for water when they stumbled on it. The tomb is near the city of Xi’an in central China.
So far, about 8,000 terra-cotta soldiers have been dug up. What else? There are plenty of horses, plus stables, storehouses, and parts of a palace. How do archaeologists find and track so many artifacts? What do they learn from them? Excavating an army-size site takes an army-size crew.
