having been there and seen them, it is really difficult to convey in words how astonishing a sight the Terracotta Warriors are - they are truly breathtaking
I've also been there and the pictures one sees in magazines or on the internet hardly prepare a person for walking into the pavilion built over the main dig site. Once you see it, you can never use the word, "awesome" so haphazardly ever again.
Agree, 100%. It's like you peeled back the floor on the biggest Costco and underneath is thousands of rock-like people frozen in time. Difficult to describe.
I was able to view these in MN at the Minneapolis Institute of Art and they were one of my favorite exhibits in the entire place. I was entranced by the uniqueness of each, life-sized, statue, especially the archer and the horse.
If they open it this year, the statues will probably come to life and an ancient curse plague will be unleashed. When you're the first emperor, you collect 1:1 scale minis for your army.
I don't think 6000 soldiers made of terracotta and armed with ancient weapons are much of a threat to the Chinese military. Edit: And playing with live-size or living soldiers has been a pastime of rulers over the ages.
One of the coolest things about the army is that they are all different. They are all hand made with different faces. There is even one that is taller and has extended arms.
I went to the traveling Terracotta Warriors exhibit when it was at the British Museum, and it was amazing. Getting to see some of them up close (including a freaking chariot!) was just really cool. I can't imagine how amazing the actual site must be, with hundreds and hundreds of them...
I was just about to make the same comment! The heads weren't made from a common mould but were handcrafted, with different facial features, some with beards and moustaches of different styles, some clean-shaven, some older and some clearly in their teens. I even remember seeing one that looked like he had a dumb look to him, dressed as a lowly servant.
@@enisra_bowman He did mention that. Well, that they were coloured initially not why the colour didn't survive. Makes you wonder if we could dig up an unbreached one in a vacuum and with as little light as possible if the pigments would survive.
i've seen them in real life and i have to say it is an amazing sight, there (at the time) are/were, 3 chambers to see, the first chamber has the main pieces to see the one everyone sees in pictures, i was taken back in awe. the second one has some nice pieces and some terracotta horses and the third chamber was just broken pieces, so if you go to see them go 3-2-1 if you want the best experience
Back when I was flying 747 freighters around the world, I was fortunate enough to transport three of the terracotta warriors from Australia to Malaysia. (Might have been in the other direction, I'm not sure) I made sure to do a very smooth landing so as to not damage those treasures.
It's said that with each kingdom he conquered he would move the monarch's family to his capital so he could keep them under surveillance, which kinda sucks. But he built each of them an exact copy of their own palace to live in, so there's that.
The interesting part of the whole construction projects with the tomb, the great wall, the canals, the straight northern highway, and the road networks...none of it are as massive as his vision of building a grand palace that Qin needs to be literally immortal to witness the conclusion. At the time of his death that the palace has barely finished 5% of the plan.
Just 22 seconds in he didn't even properly pronounce Xi'an. The Megaprojects video on the Hong Kong Express rail link made me cringe as his pronunciation of cities kept flip-flopping back and forth, for example Shenzhen he starts off the video incorrectly as "Shenzen" then later properly pronounces "Shenzhen". His Chinese pronunciation is about as good as Johnny English. Sorry, Simon, don't mean to insult or criticize but it is distracting. It doesn't take much effort to learn a few simple common characteristics of Chinese pronunciation such as a letter "g" at the end of a word is nearly silent. ua-cam.com/video/rj1lPJiO3gU/v-deo.html
Anyone else feel like the “after life” is exactly this? Coming to life through being re discovered, books now written, parts travelling the world, literally given a second chance at the whole history coming to life through discovery?
You should do a video on Dujiangyan (都江堰). Constructed by the Qin in 256BC, it’s an irrigation system that transformed huge swathes of southwest China into fertile farmland and it’s still in use today.
I didn't realize I needed this video, until you did it... great work to you and your team Simon, very well done. I'd like to suggest the Abraj Al-Bait Clock Tower as a subject for a video... it is an amazing work of engineering and horology. Cheers Sir!
I spent a semester studying in Beijing when i was in college. During that time my parents came to visit and we went to Xian to see the terracotta army. The guide told us that when they uncover new parts they are still colored but after a few hours after being exposed to the air the pigment fades. The government doesn't want to excavate any more until they can find a way to preserve the paint. My dad also bought a life size replica of one of the generals and had it shipped home, it arrived with only one small crack. It sits at the beginning of his driveway still.
Given the lack of blown injection moulding, it would be more impressive if they _did_ look the same. That they are all different and unique is absolutely _not_ impressive. It takes an absolute master of his craft to do a perfect recreation where as every single human on the planet can make two statues that look different even though they are basically the same.
@@pigpuke Cast molding has been around for centuries. These were cast in clay and then modified to be unique before then being fired. The legs, arms, feet, head and face were made from molds and then carved individually. I would say they were true masters of their craft. Looking at them was like looking at people on a street in Beijing. The facial features were incredibly realistic.
@@margeylarue1900 Looking it up I was wrong about when China first used cast moulding, I thought it wasn't until later. That still doesn't change my opinion that they aren't that impressive when compared to the already ancient Sphynx when they were created.
I heard some of these have colors that rapidly oxidized after they were dug out, and that's why they decided to not open the rest of the tomb. Also his name is actually Ying Zheng.
Just a wild hunch ... I wonder if it might be possible that soldiers were given the option of producing a realistic look-alike, or being buried alongside the emperor. Unlikely perhaps, but certainly a motivator.
Every single one the sculptures has been photographed from every possible angle, and not one of the are alike. I wonder how many of them are self portraits?
I recall the army itself being interesting, in terms of how it was constructed. I cant remember specifics, but every one is unique but there are similarities - like they were put together from molds for each body part but were never grouped up in the same way. Something like that.
Some of the weapons buried with the emperor were bronze plated with chrome, a process unknown in the rest of the world until Germany "invented" it in the 1930s.
His second assassination attempt was from a famous harpist who was friends with the first guy who did the first assassination attempt. Qin felt bad killing a famous musician, he just had his eyes plucked out as they were sure he would attempt to kill Qin. and then after they finished pulling his eyes out, they let him finish his musical performance. Despite not being able to see, he still attempted to kill Emporer Quin with his lead weighted harp. He failed.
One of the most fascinating theories I've heard about the terracotta army is the suggestion that these sculptures may have been inspired by Greek sculpture (which was inspired by Egyptian sculpture). This is theorized because the nature of the life-like portrayals was absolutely unmatched by anything else ever discovered in ancient China. To put that into perspective, it's like your own talentless meat bag struggling to make stick figures one day, but then recreating the paintings of Davinci the next. The theory hinges on the fact that the only known culture around the late century BCE that had as skilled craftsmanship of the human form were the Greeks. This theory, if true, would indicate both Europe and Asia were interconnected even before the founding of the silk road. This theory is further supported by what appears to be the presence of European mitochondrial DNA found in human remains of the time. This theory, of course, is controversial because many interpret it as the Terracotta army being commissioned to Greek sculptures. However, my personal opinion is closer to that of the creator of the initial theory Zhang Weixing, in that the style of the soldier statues do not appear like anything in Greek sculpture. This means that the statues were created by Chinese artisans who were either influenced by Greek art (by either traveling to Greece, meeting Greek travelers, or even studying under Greek artists to learn the human form). If true, it stands as a testament to the amazing ingenuity and ability of the Chinese people to learn, adapt, and master endeavors in such a short span of time.
Mao would have gotten rid of the terra cotta warriors for the simple fact that their presence meant there was a Chinese person who was more important than him.
It is a spectacular site but apparently less than 1/3 of the full burial mound with expectations that there are many more armies buried under the rest of the mound ‘mountain’.
Reasons for NOT excavating - the emperor was buried inside a moat of mercury so toxic disaster waiting for when that opened and a crossbow was found in the complex that still worked. After 2000+ years, a crossbow still worked. And so might any booby traps. So, yeah, leave it be.
Something interesting about the tomb is that reportedly the architects and foremen of the tomb were killed upon the emperor’s death and buried within the tomb to ensure the secrets would die with them.
The Terra-cotta Warriors are an impressive sight to see but I found that the crowd that visited the site was more impressive as there were several thousand people visiting the day I was there and it only took us about fifteen minutes to get admitted but I understand the day before there was a 3 hour wait! Also I was taken back on the way out by the presence of McDonald’s and KFC etc! BTW KFC is adored in China it’s American so it’s considered of quality! But they make it taste decidedly Chinese!
Qin Shi Huang is crucial to Chinese civilisation and culture as he gave the future generation of an idea of an unified state. And to be honest, he is one of the few emperors throughout China history that did not kill any of his highly accomplished subjects just because he becomes jealous of them.
You missed one of the key features of the Terra-cotta Army: every soldier is different with a unique face. That’s right: 6000+ individual faces from an army two thousand years ago.
The high mercury in the soil is one reason (amongst many I might add) they're waiting to excavate the tomb proper. Not only is it a safety hazard for all who get involved, but if the legends are true, there will be literally pools and riverlets of liquid mercury in that tomb. Making it *extremely* dangerous to excavate with our current technologies. Also, given the damage that's routinely done to China's archeological sites when excavated, especially the looting, they want to hold off on this one. It's probably the most important archeological site they'll ever have, best to take it slow and not fuck things up.
There's more to say. How are they made and how are they all individually different? Are they portrait likenesses of the soldiers there represent, every face is different from the others? Is each statue made of One peace, or are they cast and only partially individualized? Can we compare any of the individual ceases with any other portrait existing of that individual to prove that the statue represents a real person or not? Yes, many more questions.
Surprised this was put as a side project? If anything this feels like a mega project, curious if they couldn't find enough info to warrant a mega project video?
Side Projects Suggestion: Critique: Honestly, this wasn't your best video. And, I've watched a lot of your videos. I decided to post a suggestion here of a video you could have done instead. Subject: English Beaver Project Brief Overview: Long Long ago England had a large population of lovely beavers. They were thoroughly English Beaver, enjoying how swimming in rivers and lakes made them feel. But, the greedy Englishman, eat ALL the English beavers. There were no more Beaver in England after that....no one in England has seen a wild Beaver in its natural habitat in a really really really long time. Some brilliant Englishman came up with a plan to charm the English beaver to move back to the English countryside. They decided, "Hey, I'd like to see some Beaver in England." And, with the legendary ingenuity of the British, they are embarking on a SIDE PROJECT (not a MEGAPROJECT) to reintroduce the British people to Beaver. SEE: The Wildlife Trusts’ Beaver Reintroductions Did you ever see a wild beaver in England? Is it true that the 'English' beavers are being imported from Scotland? Could you do a Side Project, about the English Beaver Reintroduction Project ? Thank you for considering this suggestion.
I have a theory that the reason why Qin Shi Huangdi's tomb was undisturbed for over two millennia was the same reason why Tutankhamen's tomb was allowed to remain untouched up until the 20th century. And that was because all records of his tomb were destroyed. Not only after the first emperor of China's death, the great Qin Empire that he created quickly began tottering due to widespread revolt, corruption and mismanagement by his son and successor Qin Er Shi. This all culminated in this fledgling empire meeting its demise in 206 BC (a mere 15 years after its founding) when forces under Liu Bang (founder of the Han Dynasty) took its capital of Xianyang. A year later the former Qin capital was sacked, its people massacred and burnt to the ground under the orders of Chu warlord Xiang Yu. The destruction of the once great city and beating heart of the Qin Empire took with it much of China's ancient books and knowledge, as well as any and all government records, including all the blueprints of Qin Shi Huang's tomb and where it was located. This coupled with the fact that all the craftsmen and laborers were all either killed ensured that anybody with any knowledge of the tomb could not pass on its secrets.
From what I have read about this army, they will not allow some of the new soldiers to be exposed to sunlight. This is to try and maintain the color as much as possible. Any truth to this?
You know whats funny? I just watched another video claiming that they just discovered that the terracotta army is counterfeit. Its only like 170 years old.
One day Simon will have his own Terracotta Army to commemorate his conquest of UA-cam.
Simon I, Rex Imperator of UA-cam
Realistically, this is possible from Etsy.
For all it’s problems, the 21st century has its up sides.
He'll have to extend his basement to store them!
@@radarlockeify 🤣🤣🤣 Danny and Sam will just have to make room!
One soldier for each channel
having been there and seen them, it is really difficult to convey in words how astonishing a sight the Terracotta Warriors are - they are truly breathtaking
Oh I could only imagine.
I too have been there and agree, it's hard to convey the effect and size. The main dig site building is larger than any Costco anyone has been too.
I've also been there and the pictures one sees in magazines or on the internet hardly prepare a person for walking into the pavilion built over the main dig site. Once you see it, you can never use the word, "awesome" so haphazardly ever again.
Agree, 100%. It's like you peeled back the floor on the biggest Costco and underneath is thousands of rock-like people frozen in time. Difficult to describe.
This vid is INCREDIBLE!! 6,000 of them!!!
I was able to view these in MN at the Minneapolis Institute of Art and they were one of my favorite exhibits in the entire place. I was entranced by the uniqueness of each, life-sized, statue, especially the archer and the horse.
Went to see this a couple of years ago. Awesome. But don't go in summer time - the enclosure makes it like a greenhouse. I melted.
but just an amzing experience to see them!
I’m amazed how things like this get lost in time. Makes you wonder about the things we think are important today
and how many other things are yet to be discovered
That was the one thing that kept thinking over and over when I went to see the site. How could a place like that simply be forgotten and lost?
Considering it was under construction for 4 decades, it seems like this should be considered more of a Megaproject.
If they open it this year, the statues will probably come to life and an ancient curse plague will be unleashed.
When you're the first emperor, you collect 1:1 scale minis for your army.
I don't think 6000 soldiers made of terracotta and armed with ancient weapons are much of a threat to the Chinese military.
Edit: And playing with live-size or living soldiers has been a pastime of rulers over the ages.
That burial site is so awesome and unique. Such an historic find
One of the coolest things about the army is that they are all different. They are all hand made with different faces. There is even one that is taller and has extended arms.
I went to the traveling Terracotta Warriors exhibit when it was at the British Museum, and it was amazing. Getting to see some of them up close (including a freaking chariot!) was just really cool. I can't imagine how amazing the actual site must be, with hundreds and hundreds of them...
Simon forgot to mention that every statue is different, modelled after a real person.
That’s amazing attention to detail
I was just about to make the same comment!
The heads weren't made from a common mould but were handcrafted, with different facial features, some with beards and moustaches of different styles, some clean-shaven, some older and some clearly in their teens.
I even remember seeing one that looked like he had a dumb look to him, dressed as a lowly servant.
or that they where fully coloured, but the pigments disintegrated moments after a statue is dug up
@@enisra_bowman He did mention that. Well, that they were coloured initially not why the colour didn't survive.
Makes you wonder if we could dig up an unbreached one in a vacuum and with as little light as possible if the pigments would survive.
Nah, they all look the same anyway...
Got to see these in Seattle years ago. One of the coolest exhibits I have ever seen.
i've seen them in real life and i have to say it is an amazing sight, there (at the time) are/were, 3 chambers to see, the first chamber has the main pieces to see the one everyone sees in pictures, i was taken back in awe. the second one has some nice pieces and some terracotta horses and the third chamber was just broken pieces, so if you go to see them go 3-2-1 if you want the best experience
Back when I was flying 747 freighters around the world, I was fortunate enough to transport three of the terracotta warriors from Australia to Malaysia. (Might have been in the other direction, I'm not sure) I made sure to do a very smooth landing so as to not damage those treasures.
I’ve been waiting for this one……cheers
It's said that with each kingdom he conquered he would move the monarch's family to his capital so he could keep them under surveillance, which kinda sucks. But he built each of them an exact copy of their own palace to live in, so there's that.
i've always heard that no two statues are alike. that is even more astonishing!
I saw the travelling exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. It’s absolutely amazing to see the craftsmanship.
Saw a few of these on display at the Cincinnati Art Museum in 2018. Truly fascinating
One thing that should have been mentioned is that pretty much each of the statues has a different/unique face...
The interesting part of the whole construction projects with the tomb, the great wall, the canals, the straight northern highway, and the road networks...none of it are as massive as his vision of building a grand palace that Qin needs to be literally immortal to witness the conclusion. At the time of his death that the palace has barely finished 5% of the plan.
I always found the Terracotta Army kind of creepy. But awesome and majestic.
Kinda makes you think there are actual corpses in them lol
I saw the travelling exhibit myself when it came to the Royal Ontario Museum. So I got to look at a couple of these statues up close.
1:00 - Chapter 1 - The beginning of a history
3:15 - Chapter 2 - Necropolis of the 1st emperor
6:05 - Chapter 3 - A cultural revolution
- Chapter 4 -
This ain’t no side project, this is a brilliant case of a megaproject
100% agree.
Was going to say exactly this.
Whoever decides what is a mega and what is a side project has definitely been getting his wires crossed the last few months.
@@tbeller80 you mean ‘they’ve’ not his. I’m pretty sure it’s a girl, a very talented script writer too.
@@tbeller80 better to say ‘they’re’ not ‘him. I’m pretty sure it’s a girl who is the script writer and a fantastic one at that.
Oooh yeah some of these were at the Virginia fine arts museum. This story always fascinated me
As an Italian I can say his chinese pronounciations are 100% correct
As an Italian, I’m fuckin’ walkin’ heah
Its not that accurate
@@apexpredator.9770 Have you ever heard something about a thing called "humor"?
Just 22 seconds in he didn't even properly pronounce Xi'an. The Megaprojects video on the Hong Kong Express rail link made me cringe as his pronunciation of cities kept flip-flopping back and forth, for example Shenzhen he starts off the video incorrectly as "Shenzen" then later properly pronounces "Shenzhen". His Chinese pronunciation is about as good as Johnny English. Sorry, Simon, don't mean to insult or criticize but it is distracting. It doesn't take much effort to learn a few simple common characteristics of Chinese pronunciation such as a letter "g" at the end of a word is nearly silent.
ua-cam.com/video/rj1lPJiO3gU/v-deo.html
Anyone else feel like the “after life” is exactly this? Coming to life through being re discovered, books now written, parts travelling the world, literally given a second chance at the whole history coming to life through discovery?
"I hate mummies!" (Rick O'Connell)
You should do a video on Dujiangyan (都江堰). Constructed by the Qin in 256BC, it’s an irrigation system that transformed huge swathes of southwest China into fertile farmland and it’s still in use today.
Oooooh! Wild! I really wanna see the Mercury lake….
I didn't realize I needed this video, until you did it... great work to you and your team Simon, very well done.
I'd like to suggest the Abraj Al-Bait Clock Tower as a subject for a video... it is an amazing work of engineering and horology. Cheers Sir!
Simon, you know you have a channel called megaprojects, the terracotta army is mega.
I really want them to find that underground river of mercury...
They all but did find one. They cant get into the emperor's chamber because the mercury readings are too high in tomb.
I spent a semester studying in Beijing when i was in college. During that time my parents came to visit and we went to Xian to see the terracotta army. The guide told us that when they uncover new parts they are still colored but after a few hours after being exposed to the air the pigment fades. The government doesn't want to excavate any more until they can find a way to preserve the paint. My dad also bought a life size replica of one of the generals and had it shipped home, it arrived with only one small crack. It sits at the beginning of his driveway still.
Have I heard about the terracotta army 100 times before? Yes, yes I have.
Do I want to hear about if from Simon? Yes, yes I do.
I wish they would do a proper movie about this
What I found astounding when we visited Xian and the museum is that each statue is unique with it’s own face, etc. They are not cookie cutter images.
Given the lack of blown injection moulding, it would be more impressive if they _did_ look the same. That they are all different and unique is absolutely _not_ impressive. It takes an absolute master of his craft to do a perfect recreation where as every single human on the planet can make two statues that look different even though they are basically the same.
@@pigpuke Cast molding has been around for centuries. These were cast in clay and then modified to be unique before then being fired. The legs, arms, feet, head and face were made from molds and then carved individually. I would say they were true masters of their craft. Looking at them was like looking at people on a street in Beijing. The facial features were incredibly realistic.
@@margeylarue1900 Looking it up I was wrong about when China first used cast moulding, I thought it wasn't until later. That still doesn't change my opinion that they aren't that impressive when compared to the already ancient Sphynx when they were created.
Did you see that one kneeling terracotta 🤔 in that glass case
@@YoloLollipops yes! And we bought a small souvenir version, supposedly made from the same clay. 🤷🏼♀️ Love the memories of that trip.
When the best your court artists can do to flatter you is make your crazy-eyes look slightly less crazy…..
I'd call this a mega project
I think the day Simon dies he will have a Terracotta Army made each one representing each of the UA-cam channels he has lol
I heard some of these have colors that rapidly oxidized after they were dug out, and that's why they decided to not open the rest of the tomb. Also his name is actually Ying Zheng.
Of all the ancient things I want to see unearthed, it is this tomb
Just a wild hunch ...
I wonder if it might be possible that soldiers were given the option of producing a realistic look-alike, or being buried alongside the emperor. Unlikely perhaps, but certainly a motivator.
Every single one the sculptures has been photographed from every possible angle, and not one of the are alike. I wonder how many of them are self portraits?
Great video.
I hoped I'm alive when archeologist finally entered the emperor's tomb, and see what's it look like
This dude is everywhere
Imagine chilling in your afterlife with your army when suddenly random soldiers and retainers start vanishing.
I recall the army itself being interesting, in terms of how it was constructed. I cant remember specifics, but every one is unique but there are similarities - like they were put together from molds for each body part but were never grouped up in the same way. Something like that.
simon can probably appreciate qin shi huang’s search for immortality
02:00 - Speaks of how he was but nothing about 'that' strange hat he's got! 😂
Some of the weapons buried with the emperor were bronze plated with chrome, a process unknown in the rest of the world until Germany "invented" it in the 1930s.
His second assassination attempt was from a famous harpist who was friends with the first guy who did the first assassination attempt.
Qin felt bad killing a famous musician, he just had his eyes plucked out as they were sure he would attempt to kill Qin. and then after they finished pulling his eyes out, they let him finish his musical performance.
Despite not being able to see, he still attempted to kill Emporer Quin with his lead weighted harp. He failed.
One of the most fascinating theories I've heard about the terracotta army is the suggestion that these sculptures may have been inspired by Greek sculpture (which was inspired by Egyptian sculpture).
This is theorized because the nature of the life-like portrayals was absolutely unmatched by anything else ever discovered in ancient China. To put that into perspective, it's like your own talentless meat bag struggling to make stick figures one day, but then recreating the paintings of Davinci the next.
The theory hinges on the fact that the only known culture around the late century BCE that had as skilled craftsmanship of the human form were the Greeks. This theory, if true, would indicate both Europe and Asia were interconnected even before the founding of the silk road. This theory is further supported by what appears to be the presence of European mitochondrial DNA found in human remains of the time.
This theory, of course, is controversial because many interpret it as the Terracotta army being commissioned to Greek sculptures. However, my personal opinion is closer to that of the creator of the initial theory Zhang Weixing, in that the style of the soldier statues do not appear like anything in Greek sculpture. This means that the statues were created by Chinese artisans who were either influenced by Greek art (by either traveling to Greece, meeting Greek travelers, or even studying under Greek artists to learn the human form). If true, it stands as a testament to the amazing ingenuity and ability of the Chinese people to learn, adapt, and master endeavors in such a short span of time.
Mao would have gotten rid of the terra cotta warriors for the simple fact that their presence meant there was a Chinese person who was more important than him.
It is a spectacular site but apparently less than 1/3 of the full burial mound with expectations that there are many more armies buried under the rest of the mound ‘mountain’.
Reasons for NOT excavating - the emperor was buried inside a moat of mercury so toxic disaster waiting for when that opened and a crossbow was found in the complex that still worked. After 2000+ years, a crossbow still worked. And so might any booby traps. So, yeah, leave it be.
Hmm, I don't remember subscribing to this channel, UA-cam hasn't been suggesting it... But it has Simon, so I know I actually subscribed
Something interesting about the tomb is that reportedly the architects and foremen of the tomb were killed upon the emperor’s death and buried within the tomb to ensure the secrets would die with them.
The Terra-cotta Warriors are an impressive sight to see but I found that the crowd that visited the site was more impressive as there were several thousand people visiting the day I was there and it only took us about fifteen minutes to get admitted but I understand the day before there was a 3 hour wait! Also I was taken back on the way out by the presence of McDonald’s and KFC etc! BTW KFC is adored in China it’s American so it’s considered of quality! But they make it taste decidedly Chinese!
Simon Whistler releases new video.
Me : drop everything to learn something new. 😅😅😅
(Loving the beard Simon! )
How is this not a megaproject?
Simon has been playing civ 6 lately i think
We should 3-D print an army of Simons, useing tech advances to shock the world !!!
Why wasn’t this a mega project video 😂
Qin Shi Huang is crucial to Chinese civilisation and culture as he gave the future generation of an idea of an unified state. And to be honest, he is one of the few emperors throughout China history that did not kill any of his highly accomplished subjects just because he becomes jealous of them.
Emperor dies:
Tomb worker doesn't:
Emperor: nu uh
You missed one of the key features of the Terra-cotta Army: every soldier is different with a unique face. That’s right: 6000+ individual faces from an army two thousand years ago.
On today's things that should be on Megaprojects 😏
Let's all band together and crack the tomb?!!!!
Petition
Ah, but what about the question on everyone's mind?
Are there any duplicates?
LOL
Ruler, grandiose funeral with countless riches.
Looter: its a free real estate.
Honestly good for the looters.
Let's not miss out the liquid rivers of mercury!
The high mercury in the soil is one reason (amongst many I might add) they're waiting to excavate the tomb proper. Not only is it a safety hazard for all who get involved, but if the legends are true, there will be literally pools and riverlets of liquid mercury in that tomb. Making it *extremely* dangerous to excavate with our current technologies.
Also, given the damage that's routinely done to China's archeological sites when excavated, especially the looting, they want to hold off on this one.
It's probably the most important archeological site they'll ever have, best to take it slow and not fuck things up.
What a clay faced army!
Yes Mercury does grant Immortality. Immortally Dead.
Have you done any videos about the 3 kingdoms period of ancient China?
MEGA PROJECTS: San Alfonso del Mar, Chile
Did you forget to plug your biographics video on Qin Shi Huang?
How is this not a mega project?
Mmm I love me some terracotta warrior videos
There's more to say. How are they made and how are they all individually different? Are they portrait likenesses of the soldiers there represent, every face is different from the others? Is each statue made of One peace, or are they cast and only partially individualized? Can we compare any of the individual ceases with any other portrait existing of that individual to prove that the statue represents a real person or not? Yes, many more questions.
Very cool!
"Mercury... For immortality"
Sorry, that only worked for Freddie.
Another interesting fact about the terracotta is that they have yet not found two identical faces among the excavated terracotta warriors!
Wanna do a side project on "decimal time"?
Surprised this was put as a side project? If anything this feels like a mega project, curious if they couldn't find enough info to warrant a mega project video?
THE VICINITY OF OBSCENITY IN YOUR EYE! Terracotta pie! Hey, Terracotta pie!
(Sorry, had to do it when I saw the title)
Side Projects Suggestion:
Critique: Honestly, this wasn't your best video. And, I've watched a lot of your videos.
I decided to post a suggestion here of a video you could have done instead.
Subject: English Beaver Project
Brief Overview:
Long Long ago England had a large population of lovely beavers. They were thoroughly English Beaver, enjoying how swimming in rivers and lakes made them feel. But, the greedy Englishman, eat ALL the English beavers. There were no more Beaver in England after that....no one in England has seen a wild Beaver in its natural habitat in a really really really long time. Some brilliant Englishman came up with a plan to charm the English beaver to move back to the English countryside. They decided, "Hey, I'd like to see some Beaver in England." And, with the legendary ingenuity of the British, they are embarking on a SIDE PROJECT (not a MEGAPROJECT) to reintroduce the British people to Beaver.
SEE: The Wildlife Trusts’ Beaver Reintroductions
Did you ever see a wild beaver in England?
Is it true that the 'English' beavers are being imported from Scotland?
Could you do a Side Project, about the English Beaver Reintroduction Project ?
Thank you for considering this suggestion.
this seems more like a megaproject. not enough info?
The Terracotta Army - Sideprojects. In other words, Simon's not impressed.
Saucy!
I have a theory that the reason why Qin Shi Huangdi's tomb was undisturbed for over two millennia was the same reason why Tutankhamen's tomb was allowed to remain untouched up until the 20th century. And that was because all records of his tomb were destroyed. Not only after the first emperor of China's death, the great Qin Empire that he created quickly began tottering due to widespread revolt, corruption and mismanagement by his son and successor Qin Er Shi. This all culminated in this fledgling empire meeting its demise in 206 BC (a mere 15 years after its founding) when forces under Liu Bang (founder of the Han Dynasty) took its capital of Xianyang. A year later the former Qin capital was sacked, its people massacred and burnt to the ground under the orders of Chu warlord Xiang Yu. The destruction of the once great city and beating heart of the Qin Empire took with it much of China's ancient books and knowledge, as well as any and all government records, including all the blueprints of Qin Shi Huang's tomb and where it was located. This coupled with the fact that all the craftsmen and laborers were all either killed ensured that anybody with any knowledge of the tomb could not pass on its secrets.
That was a WINNER 🏆🏆 Simon.
👍👍
From what I have read about this army, they will not allow some of the new soldiers to be exposed to sunlight. This is to try and maintain the color as much as possible. Any truth to this?
don't know about now, but when i visited, there were remnants of color on quite a few of the warriors ~ and all of the warriors i saw were indoors
You know whats funny? I just watched another video claiming that they just discovered that the terracotta army is counterfeit. Its only like 170 years old.
4:39 Why go to all that trouble just to bury it without any sort of marker?
its a shame how chinese history for the past 70 years has fallen so far.
i hope they get their country back someday.
To be honest they are doing better than during the "century of shame" considering most aspects.
I assume 4 of those horses were tied to the limbs, but where was the fifth horse attached? Please say it was the man's neck...