The Terra-Cotta warriors were accidentally discovered by Chinese peasants while digging a well in 1974. What they found was the ancient burial-site of the first Chinese Emperor Qin Shihuangdi. These warriors were placed all around the burial tomb of Emperor Qin. Qin ordered a massive clay army to be produced for his protection (in the afterlife). Qin wanted the afterlife to be the same as his life on earth. Qin produced a warlike culture in China, which brought him many enemies. During his lifetime there were three attempts to assassinate him, so he had to be protected in the afterlife.

The first site was excavated in 1974. Much of the site had been looted soon after it was built, yet archaeologists discovered over 6,000 pottery figures. This site is 689 feet long, 197 feet wide. The trenches that contain the soldiers are 15 to 21 feet deep. The actual bodies of the soldiers were formed out of Terra-Cotta clay. They used a handful of standard torso's, initially made with no forearms or heads. This allowed for the mass production of bodies and yet still maintain an individual look to each soldier. Amazing! You'll see in the pictures that no two soldiers are alike.

The second site was excavated in 1976 and contains 1400 soldiers with horses. A third pit was discovered in 1980. This pit is the smallest out of the three discovered. It contains only one chariot, six warriors, and a small amount of weapons.