UNH to exhibit replicas of Terracotta Army warriors

DURHAM — Full-size museum replicas of the ancient Chinese warriors, chariots and bamboo slips found in the third century BCE Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor will be exhibited at the University of New Hampshire Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2 to 6 p.m., and Jan. 22-30, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Huddleston Hall Ballroom. It is free and open to the public.

The Terracotta Army site was discovered in 1974 by local farmers in the Lintong District in Shaanxi, China. It turned out to be one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of modern times. Near the unexcavated tomb of Qin Shi Huangdi lay an army of life-sized terracotta soldiers and horses, interred for more than 2,000 years. More than 8,800 life-size terracotta figures of warriors, chariots and horses have been unearthed.

The warriors were intended to protect the emperor’s tomb and support him as he reigned over an empire in the afterlife. The terracotta figures are life-like and life-sized, varying in height, uniform and hairstyle according to their rank. They were painted with a colored lacquer finish and equipped with real weapons and armor. Each warrior has distinctive facial features and expressions. The site was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. The UNH exhibition will feature replicas of 17 warriors, two half-sized bronze chariots, one horse and 36 bamboo slips, a medium the ancient Chinese used for writing before paper. The slips cover a variety of topics, including law cases from the period.

Students and schools may sign up for hands-on workshops and lectures to learn more about the history of the site by emailing Confucius.institute@unh.edu.