Tomb of the first emperor

Home ViralScared to open for 2200 years, it’s surrounded by… archaeologists fear unlocking mysterious tomb of China’s first emperor because… The mystery of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang’s tomb continues to excite scientists and historians alike, but still they haven't opened it yet. The tomb of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, has remained a mystery for over 2,200 years. Discovered in 1974 by farmers in Shaanxi province, the site includes a vast underground mausoleum guarded by the iconic Terracotta Army thousands of life-sized clay soldiers and horses crafted to protect the emperor in the afterlife. Despite extensive exploration of the surrounding area, the central tomb chamber itself has never been opened. Who Was Emperor Qin Shi Huang?Qin Shi Huang, who ruled from 221 BC to 210 BC, was the first emperor of a unified China. Known for his ambitious projects, including the construction of the Great Wall, his mausoleum is believed to be one of the most elaborate burial sites in history. According to ancient texts, the tomb was designed to reflect his vision of an eternal empire, complete with replicas of rivers and oceans made of mercury. Why Archaeologists Fear Opening The Tomb?Archaeologists have refrained from opening the tomb due to the risks it poses. According to IFL Science, three major reasons cited by archaeologists are Structural Damage: The act of opening the tomb could irreparably harm its contents. Advanced preservation techniques would be required to protect the artifacts and murals from exposure to air and light.Booby Traps: Ancient Chinese historian Sima Qian, writing 100 years after Qin Shi Huang’s death, described sophisticated security measures within the tomb. These include crossbows and arrows designed to shoot intruders and a network of mechanically flowing mercury simulating rivers like the Yangtze and Yellow River.Mercury Poisoning: Modern studies suggest that mercury levels in the soil around the tomb are abnormally high. If cracks in the tomb have allowed mercury to seep out, exposure to these toxic vapors could pose significant risks to researchers.What Lies Inside the Tomb?According to Sima Qian, the emperor’s tomb contains “palaces and scenic towers for a hundred officials,” as well as treasures and rare artifacts. The historian also noted that the burial chamber was a microcosm of the empire, complete with flowing rivers of liquid mercury representing China’s major waterways. Efforts and ChallengesIn 2020, a study confirmed that volatile mercury might be escaping from the tomb through cracks that have developed over time. As a result, archaeologists have considered using non-invasive techniques, such as ground-penetrating radar and other advanced imaging tools, to study the tomb without disturbing it. However, no concrete plan has been finalized. For now, the burial chamber remains sealed, its secrets hidden for millennia, waiting for the day when technology and preservation methods may finally allow its exploration. Also Read: Comments - Join the Discussion -->

An army of clay warriors guards the tomb of China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, who died in 210 BC. The tomb is still under excavation near Xi'an, China.(Image credit: Clara Moskowitz/LiveScience)Buried deep under a hill in central China, surrounded by an underground moat of poisonous mercury, lies an entombed emperor who's been undisturbed for more than two millennia.The tomb holds the secrets of China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, who died on Sept. 10, 210 B.C., after conquering six warring states to create the first unified nation of China.The answers to a number of historical mysteries may lie buried inside that tomb, but whether modern people will ever see inside this mausoleum depends not just on the Chinese government, but on science."The big hill, where the emperor is buried — nobody's been in there," said archaeologist Kristin Romey, curatorial consultant for the Terracotta Warrior exhibition at New York City’s Discovery Times Square. "Partly it's out of respect for the elders, but they also realize that nobody in the world right now has the technology to properly go in and excavate it."The Terracotta Warrior exhibition, featuring artifacts from the Qin dynasty and nine life-size statues from the extended burial complex built for Qin Shi Huang, is on display through Aug. 26. [Photos: Terracotta Warriors Protect Secret Tomb]The warring statesQin Shi Huang (pronounced "chin shuh hwang") was born in 259 B.C., first son to the king of Qin, one of six independent kingdoms inside modern China. These kingdoms had been warring for more than 200 years, but through a combination of military strength, strategy and natural disasters, Qin Shi Huang conquered them all, proclaiming himself not just a king, but also an emperor — the first of China.Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.Scholars still debate the details of how this occurred, and what unique tactics allowed the Qin emperor to achieve what no one had managed before.When he died, Qin Shi Huang was buried in the most opulent tomb complex ever constructed in China, a sprawling, city-size collection of underground caverns containing everything the emperor would need for the afterlife. The ancient Chinese, along with many cultures including ancient Egyptians, believed that items and even people buried with a person could be taken with him to the afterlife.But instead of burying his armies, concubines, administrators and servants with him, the Qin emperor came up with an alternative: clay reproductions.Shocking discoveryIn 1974, a group of farmers digging wells near Xi'an, China stumbled upon one of the most shocking archaeological discoveries of all time. The life-size terracotta solider they dug out of the ground turned out to be just one of an army of thousands, each utterly unique, with individual clothing, hair and facial features.For almost four decades, archaeologists have been excavating the site. So far, they've uncovered about 2,000 clay soldiers, but experts estimate there are more than 8,000 in total."They're going to be digging there for centuries," Romey predicted.Still, scientists have yet to touch the central

HUANG’s RULE (221-206 B.C.) factsanddetails.com; LAWS OF QIN factsanddetails.com; TERRA COTTA ARMY AND TOMB OF EMPEROR QIN SHI HUANG factsanddetails.com; GREAT WALL OF CHINA Factsanddetails.com/China ; XIAN AND SHAANXI PROVINCE factsanddetails.com/china Websites and Sources: Qin Dynasty Wikipedia Wikipedia ; Emperor Qin Wikipedia Wikipedia ; Xian : Wikipedia Wikipedia Terra-cotta Army of Emperor Qin Wikipedia Wikipedia ; UNESCO World Heritage Site : UNESCO ; Emperor Qin's Tomb: UNESCO World Heritage Site UNESCO ; Early Chinese History: 1) Robert Eno, Indiana University indiana.edu; 2) Chinese Text Project ctext.org RECOMMENDED BOOKS: “The Early Chinese Empires: Qin and Han (History of Imperial China)” by Mark Edward Lewis and Timothy Brook Amazon.com; “Age of Empires: Art of the Qin and Han Dynasties” by Zhixin Sun, I-tien Hsing Amazon.com; “Records of the Grand Historian: Qin Dynasty” by Qian Sima and Burton Watson Amazon.com; “The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 1: The Ch'in and Han Empires, 221 BC-AD 220" Amazon.com; “The First Emperor of China” by Jonathan Clements Amazon.com; “The Underground Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang” by Fu Tianchou Amazon.com; “The Eternal Army: The Terracotta Soldiers of the First Emperor”by Araldo De Luca and Roberto Ciarla Amazon.com; “Terracotta Army: Legacy of the First Emperor of China” by Li Jian, Hou-Mei Sung, Zhang Weixing ( Amazon.com ; Film: "The First Emperor" (also known as "The Emperor and the Assassin") by Chen Kaige Amazon.com Emperor Qin Shi Huang and the Creation of ChinaAccording to the BBC: When Qin came to power China was a land of many

EMPEROR QIN SHI HUANG One rendering of Emperor Qin Shihuang Emperor Qin Shi Huang (Qin Shihuang,ruled 221–210 B.C.) is arguably the greatest leader in Chinese history. Sometimes called the "Chinese Caesar," he unified China, founded the Qin Dynasty, gave China its name (in China Qin is pronounced as Chin as well as Qin), built large sections of the Great Wall of China, and was China's first bonafide emperor. He was buried in the world's largest tomb in Xian not far from the famous terra cotta army that was created to honor him and protect him in the afterlife. Qin Shi Huang real name was Ying Zheng. In China, he has always called the First Emperor (Qin Shi Huang) in histories.Qin was a military adventurer who unified China by conquering and subsuming the six warring states. His achievements came at great human costs though. He imposed absolute order by executing anyone suspected of disloyalty. Thousands were killed in his military campaigns, in his attacks against intellectuals, and among the labor gangs that built the Great Wall and other structures. But in doing all this he brought China together."We wouldn't have a China without Qin Shi Huang," Harvard University's Peter Bol told the BBC. "I think it's that simple."Wolfram Eberhard wrote in “A History of China”: The judgments passed on him vary greatly.: the official Chinese historiography rejects him entirely—naturally, for he tried to exterminate Confucianism, while every later historian was himself a Confucian. Western scholars often treat him as one of