Terracotta army 'for military training'
Source: Xinhua |
December 2, 2011, Friday
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Print Edition
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THE Terracotta army is traditionally believed to have been the guardians of the first emperor of a unified China, but a researcher claims they could have been military training models.
Sun Jiachun, a researcher with the geological bureau of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, home of the Terracotta army, said the pits where the clay figures were discovered were the ruins of a military school near the mausoleum of China's first emperor Qin Shihuang in Xi'an.
Sun challenged the widely-accepted theory that the clay figures were an army corps meant to guard the emperor in his afterlife, saying they were too far away and too loosely deployed to serve as real guardians.
"The Terracotta Warriors were found at least 1.5 kilometers from the mausoleum's outer walls," he said yesterday. "They were poorly organized and were not led by a general, which contradicts ancient China's military system and traditional beliefs that a deceased emperor should be served in the same manner as when he was alive."
Sun said the Terracotta Warriors and Horses must have had a more practical function. "The first emperor and his ministers must have wanted the army to serve their kingdom, probably by using the clay figures as a teaching aid at the military school."
Sun's thesis - "Terracotta Warriors: Ruins of an Ancient Military School" - has been published in "Military History," a leading Chinese military periodical.
In it, he elaborates on his argument, citing the layout and structure of the pits, and prevalent military theories of the time that probably influenced the design of the pits.
The No. 1 pit, where 114 clay figures have been unearthed to date, was an underground structure, but its roof was above ground. However, sacrificial pits around the mausoleum were all found eight to 10 meters underground, said Sun.
The inside of the No. 1 pit is 3.2 meters high and covers 14,260 square meters, with more than 20 corridors and 10 screen walls. "It's open and easily accessible, like a huge hall," he said.
The No. 1 pit is the first and largest of the three pits containing the soldiers.
Before Sun's thesis was published, historian Wang Xueli also studied the clay statues from a military perspective. Wang contended that the No. 1 pit was a temporary battle grouping, No. 2 pit a permanent encampment, and No. 3 served as barracks.
"The clay figures all faced east, as if they were on guard against enemies from that direction," said Sun, adding that the three pits containing the statues formed training and simulation grounds, and the entire site was probably a military school.
Sun said Qin Shihuang must have taken advantage of the clandestine location of his own tomb to train army officers to fight for his kingdom. "The clay figures were used to simulate battle scenes for the trainees," he said.
Zhang Wenli, a researcher at the Xi'an-based Museum of Qin Shihuang Terracotta Warriors and Horses, insisted the figures were sacrificial guardians for the emperor.
Duan Qingbo, a professor with Northwest University, said: "I personally believe it was an army of guardians for the deceased emperor, but in either case, we need more evidence to support our arguments."
Qin Shihuang (259-210 BC) was the founder of China's first unified feudal empire, the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC). The Terracotta army was discovered by farmers in Xi'an in March 1974.
Sun Jiachun, a researcher with the geological bureau of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, home of the Terracotta army, said the pits where the clay figures were discovered were the ruins of a military school near the mausoleum of China's first emperor Qin Shihuang in Xi'an.
Sun challenged the widely-accepted theory that the clay figures were an army corps meant to guard the emperor in his afterlife, saying they were too far away and too loosely deployed to serve as real guardians.
"The Terracotta Warriors were found at least 1.5 kilometers from the mausoleum's outer walls," he said yesterday. "They were poorly organized and were not led by a general, which contradicts ancient China's military system and traditional beliefs that a deceased emperor should be served in the same manner as when he was alive."
Sun said the Terracotta Warriors and Horses must have had a more practical function. "The first emperor and his ministers must have wanted the army to serve their kingdom, probably by using the clay figures as a teaching aid at the military school."
Sun's thesis - "Terracotta Warriors: Ruins of an Ancient Military School" - has been published in "Military History," a leading Chinese military periodical.
In it, he elaborates on his argument, citing the layout and structure of the pits, and prevalent military theories of the time that probably influenced the design of the pits.
The No. 1 pit, where 114 clay figures have been unearthed to date, was an underground structure, but its roof was above ground. However, sacrificial pits around the mausoleum were all found eight to 10 meters underground, said Sun.
The inside of the No. 1 pit is 3.2 meters high and covers 14,260 square meters, with more than 20 corridors and 10 screen walls. "It's open and easily accessible, like a huge hall," he said.
The No. 1 pit is the first and largest of the three pits containing the soldiers.
Before Sun's thesis was published, historian Wang Xueli also studied the clay statues from a military perspective. Wang contended that the No. 1 pit was a temporary battle grouping, No. 2 pit a permanent encampment, and No. 3 served as barracks.
"The clay figures all faced east, as if they were on guard against enemies from that direction," said Sun, adding that the three pits containing the statues formed training and simulation grounds, and the entire site was probably a military school.
Sun said Qin Shihuang must have taken advantage of the clandestine location of his own tomb to train army officers to fight for his kingdom. "The clay figures were used to simulate battle scenes for the trainees," he said.
Zhang Wenli, a researcher at the Xi'an-based Museum of Qin Shihuang Terracotta Warriors and Horses, insisted the figures were sacrificial guardians for the emperor.
Duan Qingbo, a professor with Northwest University, said: "I personally believe it was an army of guardians for the deceased emperor, but in either case, we need more evidence to support our arguments."
Qin Shihuang (259-210 BC) was the founder of China's first unified feudal empire, the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC). The Terracotta army was discovered by farmers in Xi'an in March 1974.
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