Tomb Shihuangdi: An Emperor's Elaborate Burial Place

In March of 1974, while drilling a well, a work brigade of farmers discovered a subterranean chamber nearby the royal tomb of Qin Shi Huangdi, the first Emperor of China (Encyclopedia Britannica). The superstitious old women of the village believed that the digging would disturb the Earth God. Therefore, due to these spiritual beliefs, they did not report the discovery right away. Eventually, archeologists came to Xi’an in droves to study and extend the digs. This led to the uncovering of three vast pits to the east of the burial tomb. In these pits, chariots, weapons and over 7,000 terracotta soldiers and horses were unearthed (Roberts p. 25). After extensive research, historians and archeologists concluded these terracotta soldiers

From an ancient unknown writer, we have learnt that the labourers made the tomb of bronze, with its floor being a map of China and rivers of mercury, which, as long as they flowed, Qin would live forever in his underground world. The workers continued construction on the tomb until the emperor’s death in 209BC. The mound was a scale model of the palace, the empire and the world. The labourers installed automatically triggered weapons in the mausoleum to safeguard the treasures and ward off tomb robbers. Most of the workmen who were working on the tomb when the Emperor died were buried alive with Qin to serve him in the afterlife. The warriors were constructed by the 700, 000 employed workers of Qin Shi Huangdi to prepare him for his afterlife journey.

The tombs had two main functions. The first function was a place that provided an eternal resting place in which the body could lay protected from thieves and scavengers. The second function of the tomb was a place where cults and ritual acts could be performed to ensure eternal life (Taylor, 2001:136). The body of the person was buried along with their belongings in the tomb to ensure the individual had all the proper materials needed for the afterlife. The Egyptians usually did this because “Tombs were constructed to mirror aspects of the afterlife” (Olson, 2009). These tombs were not only a place where bodies of a deceased lay; it was also a place where rituals would take place. One ritual that was done on the bodies was the ‘Opening of the Mouth’. This was a burial ritual that “accompanied the placement of funerary goods in a tomb- and was a necessary step in the deceased’s rebirth” (Olson, 2009). One very important service that had to be done was the mummification process in which the removal of organs

To clarify, it was a tough time period for the Chinese workers and soldiers. In Document F, “ If we die, unburies, in the wilds, our corpses will feed the crows.” Because of the many rules and restrictions they had while building Qin, or the leader, probably didn’t care about the passed on people’s bodies so he left it there while everyone kept building and pretended nothing was wrong. From Document E, “...eight months of winter, temperatures reached 20- to 30- below zero, fahrenheit.” They had to keep working no matter what, on the wall, even if it was snowing, raining, and you’re getting frostbite. (Documents E & F) For the chinese workers and soldiers, it was a very hard time period for them to build the wall due to the harsh weather and working

Even though they believed in an afterlife, the thought of it was not pleasant. The people of Mesopotamia lived very difficult lives and when one was deceased it was more of a reminder of how hard life was. “Likewise, the dead could rise up and torment the living if not given a proper burial, so the bodies of enemies were buried in a manner such as to prevent this from happening.” (4) Unlike where we burry the deceased today, some of the Mesopotamian children were found buried in various places such as under the floors in houses and even in cooking

Over one million people died while building the Great Wall because of the working conditions. Most people think the bodies were buried inside the wall. Some even think disobedient workers were walled up alive. Because of this, the Great Wall was referred to as “the longest cemetery on earth.” (History of China Great Wall 1) However, some historians disagree with this. The whole wall would have collapsed long ago if there were bodies in the wall. The historians think the bodies of the dead workers were buried inside trenches alongside the wall.

Countless labors were conscripted to guard the border and build the fortification walls to secure defenses; he extorted excessive taxes and levies to construct monuments or the Epang Palace and his mausoleum. In his years of his unification and reign in China, Qin Shi Huang left quite a number of historical sites, such as the Old Capital Xianyang, Lishan Xanadu, and Langyatai Stone Inscriptions in Mount Tai, where later generations pay respect and extol the historical giant in the following thousand years. Soon people revolted against his reign and the first unified feudal empire went to perdition after many years. Qin Shi Huangdi was strong emperor but he had many enemies. Nomadic tribes to the north had been a threat to China since then and thousands of ruling families who had been overthrown when the Qin came to power also opposed Shi Huangdi's rule (The Unification of China. http://www.skwirk.com/p-c_s-14_u-173_t-472_c-1713/nsw/history/ancient-societies-china/ancient-china-part-ii/an-event-the-unification-of-china). When he died in 210 B.C. during one of his frequent tours of inspection, he was succeeded by his son but he was not able to control the rivalry among his father's chief aides. The

A new discovery has accused in China. About 40 years ago a group of archeologists found a giant tomb of warriors. The Terra Cotta warriors of China. These warriors Were built to protect the kingdom. King Qin was only 13 years old when he became king of the Qin dynasty. These warriors were made out of clay. Each warrior looked different from each other, none of them looked alike. There are up to 7,800 soldiers, horses, and archers underground to protect under the kingdom from being attacked. No molds were used to make these soldiers. This tomb spreads over 20 square miles. Two pits have been evacuated of the three that were made. The third most recently found tomb that the archeologists have found has up to 86 soldiers and 44 Terra Cotta warrior

According to some of the most reliable records “the emperor was laid to rest in a bronze casket amid a sea and rivers of mercury, which was circulated by a kind of perpetual-motion device” while “other records describe the emperor being dressed in jade and gold with pearls in his mouth.” The area surrounding Emperor Qin Shihuang’s tomb is said to be complete with a “ceiling…covered with pearl versions of night-sky constellations and the floor covered with a miniature landscape of his empire, with models of pavilions and palaces. Entrances to the vault are booby-trapped with hair-trigger crossbows to pierce intruders with arrows” (Hoh, Erling). Although almost all historical records need further proof in order to be used as evidence, these few examples provide us with an illustrated view into the inside of the tomb.

A ruler or leader has a significant impact in the creation of art in the land that they govern. An example can be seen in Qin Shi Huangdi, who was an emperor in China. During his sovereignty, he ordered the construction of an elaborate tomb as his final resting place. Although we might think decorated casket or something the like, this was something way more extravagant due to their culture. For many years, the Chinese people believed that in afterlife, their ancestors can talk to the gods and help those that are living. The people also believed that they can help their ancestors by burying items that they might need in the afterlife. This is the motivation behind the creation of Qin Shi Huangdi’s tomb, which includes an army of terra-cotta soldiers, chariots,

The tomb is most famous for its large rows of soldiers, but there were plenty of other statues to accompany Emperor Qin in the afterlife. There were 150 life-size cavalry horses and 130 chariots with 520 horses buried with the army. In other areas of the tomb, figures of government officials and entertainers have been found.

In the west branch of the southwest portion of the Valley of the Kings lies the tomb of Horemheb. This tomb was built at the end of the 18th dynasty and shows a shift in tomb architecture. This was one of the first tombs, in the transition between dynasties, to have a straight axis style vs the previously used bent axis. This means that the corridors and chambers were vertical not at an angle. Upon entering, there are three sloping corridors that lead to a well and pillared chamber. You continue deeper under the earth down two more corridors that lead to a chamber with entrance to the burial chamber. This tomb is filled with illustrations of deities and of scenes from the newly introduced Book of Gates. This is the first tomb to show this object

Qin Shihuang conquered lots of things in his life but his drive to succeed was even better. He wanted to achieve immortality. When Qin Shihuang was first given the throne at the age of 13 , it was then he came up with the idea to himself a tomb in a vast underground city guarded by a Terracotta Army with many different kinds of warriors. Emperor Qin Shihuang was known for stunning and beautiful innovations , such as connecting cities with road and canals. He also continued the Great wall of China and still very well admired throughout China.

Tomb is made of stone and brick instead of the usual shaft in the ground.

It is not clear, from any of the literature this writer has uncovered, that the tomb was placed in a location that has any peculiar astrological significance. However, the evidence does indicate that the emperor wanted to be at the center of the cosmos – wanted, at the very least, to be seen as such – and he created a burial mound that is massive enough to serve as a new mountain. According to at least one scholar, he reconfigured the geography and space of China by creating a massive burial mound fit for a cosmic creature that was in the lineage of the sage kings. He contrived a power base for all eternity: a mountain as his fortress, with thousands of his soldiers standing ready to serve and protect him (Portal, 148). Thus, it may be said that the cosmos comes to the mountain and the mountain is the