【每日电讯报】Hunt begins for leader of Terracotta army

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Hunt begins for leader of Terracotta army
Chinese archaeologists have begun a new excavation at the site of the Terracotta warriors in Xi'an to find the "leader" of the vast army. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/5494393/Hunt-begins-for-leader-of-Terracotta-army.html
By Malcolm Moore in Shanghai     Published: 11:52AM BST 10 Jun 2009


The first excavation of the site lasted six years betweeen 1978 and 1984, during which 1,087 clay soldiers were discovered Photo: GETTY


The dig will uncover more of the enormous pit that surrounds the tomb of Qin Shihuang, China's first emperor.

The first excavation of the site lasted six years betweeen 1978 and 1984, during which 1,087 clay soldiers were discovered. A second excavation started in 1985 but was cut short after a year.

Altogether, archaeologists believe there may be as many as 8,000 life-size clay figures in the pits, as well as chariots and hundreds of horses. No two figures are alike, and craftsmen are believed to have modelled them after a real army.

Liu Zhancheng, the head of the archaeological team at the museum in Xi'an, said the new dig will search for someone who appears "in command" of the force.

"We're hoping to find a clay figure that represented a high-ranking army officer, for example," he told Chinese state media.

The dig will focus on a 2,153 sq ft patch inside the first of four pits around the emperor's tomb. Pit one has eleven corridors and contains the main body of the Terracotta army.

Mr Liu said the team, which will work on the site for a year, will also examine the colouring of the figures. The warriors exposed to the air in the 1970s have lost their delicately painted details.

Qin, who died in 210 BC at the age of 50, created China's first unified state by conquering rival kingdoms. He built an extensive system of roads and canals along with an early incarnation of the Great Wall of China. He introduced standard measurements, a single written language, currency and law.