Terra Cotta Warriors

Discovered outside Xian, China in 1974, the excavation of the warriors and horses are said to be the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century. A museum was built onsite in Xian in 1975 and work is still continuing. It is believed it could take generations to fully uncover all the secrets that lie in the pits.

For the first time ever, 20 of these magnificant warriors and horses are on a touring exhibit in the United States. I saw them at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, California where they remain on exhibit until Oct 16th. From there, Atlanta's High Museum will host them beginning in Nov 2008. Houston's Museum of Natural Science gets them in May 2009 and then DC's National Geographic Museum will host them from Nov 2009 through March 2010.

Obviously, if you can get to the onsite museum in Xian, that would be the best way to see them but if you can't, definitely get to the US touring exhibit. The audio tour is very comprehensive and there is quite a bit to see. Now I am definitely including Xian as a future destination as to appreciate the full experience of seeing them unearthed in the pits. The Xian museum location has been added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list as well.

These warriors were created by China's first Emporer, Qin Shi Huang, as his source of protection in the afterlife. Qin took the throne at 13 and it is believed these were created in the 38 years that followed. The discovery of these warriors was purely by accident as local farmers were digging a well and uncovered a terra cota head. Archeologists were obviously immediately curious and came to survey the site.

Sadly, most of the figures were smashed to pieces due to the ground caving but many have been painstakingly restored throughout the past few years. Although lacking the beautiful pigments that once adorned their exterior, they are still absolutely breathtaking and something not to be missed.

There are believed to be between 7000 and 8000 figures including pottery soldiers, horses, chariots, and even weapons. There are three known pits and excavation of the Emporer's tomb itself has not commenced.

You are not allowed to take photos inside the exhibit, although I did manage to get one "illegal" photo from down the hallway. The remainder of the photos here are either taken outside the exhibit hall or borrowed from online.

Admission to the Bowers museum audio tour is $25 during the week and are scheduled in hourly increments. If you have a AAA card, you save a few dollars. Since the exhibit is coming to a close here, the lines are pretty long so don't plan to do the last tour or you might miss seeing some of the exhibit.