Terracotta Army: The greatest archaeological find of the 20th century - BBC News
Summary
TLDRThe script describes the excavation of a vast Terracotta Army, a life-sized collection of soldiers buried with a Chinese ruler over 2,000 years ago. The figures, with distinct facial features and hairstyles, indicate different ranks. Discovered by farmers, the tomb's artifacts were initially substitutes for human sacrifice in ancient China. Remarkably, the Terracotta Warriors were found with well-preserved, vibrant colors, including a unique purple from a chemical reaction, showcasing ancient Chinese technology. The archaeologist reflects on the significance of this discovery, feeling both lucky and responsible for this unique piece of Chinese and world history.
Takeaways
- 🗿 The script discusses the discovery of a vast army of terracotta warriors, which have been buried for over 2,000 years.
- 👷 The narrator has worked at the archaeological site for many years, indicating a deep connection and knowledge of the site.
- 🤖 The terracotta warriors are life-sized and have distinct facial features and hairstyles, which are referred to as 'ha gears'.
- 🔍 The terracotta army was accidentally found by farmers digging a well, leading to the discovery of pieces and the heads of the terracotta warriors.
- 🏺 Historical context is provided, explaining that in ancient China, elites were buried with their servants, a practice later criticized and replaced with terracotta figures.
- 🎨 The script highlights the surprising preservation of colors on the terracotta warriors, with bright red, pink, blue, and green hues remaining vibrant.
- 🔬 The colors used on the terracotta warriors are natural, derived from minerals or plants, with the exception of purple, which is a result of a chemical reaction.
- 🧪 The use of chemical reactions to create purple pigment is noted as a revolutionary technology from 2,000 years ago, unique to China.
- 🏛 The discovery in pit 3 is described as a fascinating part of the narrator's archaeological career, emphasizing the importance of the find.
- 🙏 The narrator expresses a sense of luck and responsibility, acknowledging the uniqueness of the site both in China and the world.
- 🚶♂️ Even after years, the narrator still feels impressed when walking through the site, indicating the ongoing impact and significance of the discovery.
Q & A
What is the significance of the vast Pottery Army being unearthed?
-The vast Pottery Army is significant because it provides a unique insight into ancient Chinese funerary practices and the craftsmanship of the time, having been buried for over 2,000 years.
How were the life-sized pottery soldiers discovered?
-The pottery soldiers were discovered accidentally by a group of farmers who were digging a well and found pieces of pottery and the head of a Terracotta Warrior.
What is special about the pottery soldiers' facial features and hairstyles?
-The pottery soldiers have different facial features and hairstyles, which were used to distinguish their ranks and individual identities, reflecting the diversity of the real soldiers they represent.
Why were the Terracotta Army figures created?
-The Terracotta Army figures were created as a substitute for human sacrifice, which was a practice that began to be criticized in ancient China around 3,000 years ago.
What was the surprising discovery made in pit 3 of the excavation site?
-In pit 3, archaeologists were surprised to find the pottery figures very well preserved with bright colors, which was unexpected due to the age of the artifacts.
What colors were found on the Terracotta Warriors and what were their sources?
-The colors found on the Terracotta Warriors included bright red, pink, blue, and green, which were derived from natural minerals or plants, except for the purple, which was a result of a chemical reaction.
What does the speaker find revolutionary about the purple color found on the pottery figures?
-The speaker finds the purple color revolutionary because it was created through a chemical reaction, a technology that was quite advanced for the time, 2,000 years ago in China.
What emotions does the speaker express about their archaeological career involving the Terracotta Army?
-The speaker expresses feelings of luck and responsibility, indicating the significance and uniqueness of their work, both in China and the world.
How does the speaker describe their experience of walking in the excavation site even now?
-The speaker describes their experience as still being very impressed, suggesting the ongoing impact and fascination of the Terracotta Army discovery.
What does the script suggest about the speaker's view on the importance of the Terracotta Army to Chinese and world history?
-The script suggests that the speaker views the Terracotta Army as not only important to Chinese history but also to world history, given its unique cultural and technological insights.
What was the initial practice in ancient China regarding the burial of elites, and how did it change?
-Initially, when elites in ancient China died, they were buried with their servants, indicating a practice of human sacrifice. This practice was later criticized and changed to using pottery figures as substitutes.
Outlines
🏺 Unearthing the Terracotta Army
This paragraph introduces the discovery and significance of the Terracotta Army, a collection of life-sized pottery figures buried with a Chinese ruler over 2,000 years ago. The figures are detailed, with distinct facial features and hairstyles that indicate their ranks. The script mentions the accidental discovery by farmers digging a well, revealing pieces of pottery and the head of a warrior. An archaeological team then began excavations in the area. The practice of burying servants with the deceased to accompany them in the afterlife is discussed, along with the transition to using terracotta figures as substitutes for human sacrifice. The discovery of well-preserved colors on the figures in Pit 3 is highlighted, with the mention of natural and chemically derived pigments, including a unique purple from a chemical reaction found only in China, showcasing ancient technological advancements.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Pottery Army
💡Life-sized
💡Facial Features
💡Hairstyle
💡Terra Cotta Warriors
💡Afterlife Beliefs
💡Human Sacrifice
💡Pit 3
💡Bright Colors
💡Natural Pigments
💡Chemical Reaction
💡Archaeological Career
Highlights
A vast pottery army is being unearthed from a tomb where it has lain for over 2,000 years.
The pottery warriors are life-sized and resemble real soldiers.
Different facial features and hairstyles indicate the warriors' ranks.
The Terracotta Army was discovered accidentally by farmers digging a well.
An archaeological team was dispatched to the site following the initial discovery.
In ancient China, elites were buried with servants to serve them in the afterlife.
Human sacrifice was criticized, leading to the use of terracotta figures as substitutes.
The discovery in Pit 3 revealed well-preserved colors on the terracotta figures.
Bright colors such as red, pink, blue, and green were found on the figures.
The pigments used were natural, derived from minerals or plants.
The purple color was artificially created through a chemical reaction.
The use of chemical reactions for pigments was a revolutionary technology in ancient China.
The archaeological career of the speaker has been significantly impacted by this discovery.
The speaker feels a sense of responsibility and uniqueness in their work.
The Terracotta Army is unique both in China and the world.
The site continues to impress the speaker even after many years of working there.
Transcripts
[Music]
it's a vast Pottery Army which is slowly
being Unearthed from the tomb where it's
Lain for more than 2,000 years at one
time when a Chinese
ruler
I work in this site for many years uh
for um decades yeah so these wores are
all lifesized like real soldiers also
they have different facial
features you can tell from their
hairstyle they they we call ha gears and
they can tell their different
[Music]
ranks
[Music]
the tar worries was find
accidentally one day a group of farmers
ding well here and they find some pieces
of the
poter they also find the head of the T
Warriors and they the team artical team
came to this area and they start to uh
dig originally in um ancient China like
3,000 years ago they believe the
afterlife when the elites died like king
or um Noble uh people they died and they
normally buried their uh servants with
them so they human sacrif
and uh people start
criticize the human sacrifice so they um
think probably use the target figures as
a
[Music]
substitute when we discovered in pit 3
very surprisingly we find well preserved
colors when we lift one target wor
Target body
so the very bright colors stay kind of
soil very bright bright uh red and pink
blue
green the other colors all natural like
natural uh um probably mineral or uh
come from some plants but the purple is
chemical from from chemical reaction so
that kind of
artificial so this kind of you know
chemical reaction so only find in China
that's really
revolutionary you know that kind of
technology in 2,000 years ago in chin
time that was really fascinating part of
my archaological
[Music]
career
I feel I'm
lucky also I feel I have a
responsibility that's um unique in China
and also unique in the
world even now I walk in I still feel uh
very
[Music]
impressed
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