We were picked up by our guide in the morning and taken first to the Banpo Village which is an ancient village, 6000 years old, that archeologists have found completely intact. They speculate that disease killed everyone as all their tools like axes and bone needles were left. Not one to let a photo opportunity go by, Eryl and I quickly joined the Banpo natives as they were fixing their hair.
We were taken into the archeological site to see the digging. I have to say that I really couldn't tell what much was, but it was impressive what the archeologists seemed to be able to glean from what they found.
There were some pots that were found in the cooking area.
All this was in the middle of skyscraperville. I hope they did a little preliminary digging before they used the big machines to dig up everything in China.
Eryl was drawn to the gentleman selling Chinese flutes, had a quick lesson and bought one on the spot. It will be a fine edition to the Kells' Band.
Our next stop was a shop where they made terra cotta warriors in the traditional way. Another photo op!
I wonder if Eryl knew when she got dressed that she should wear her terra cotta coloured ribbon hat?
After a teensy bit of shopping, we were back in the van and off to see the terra cotta warriors.
The first structure built over the dig site, otherwise known as Pit One, was the first area where the warriors were discovered. Inside the building were 2000 warriors uncovered, but within two hours of being exposed to oxygen, the vibrant colour on the warriors fades to nothing. So the Chinese have halted all excavation until they develop a method of preserving the colour. Behind what is uncovered in Pit One are 4000 more warriors, yet to be unearthed.
They could only be seen from the perimeter of the huge building.
The warriors had a similar body shape, but details on each one varied.
The warriors were made hollow, so they wouldn't explode in the kiln, and then the head was added after. Some of these warriors had literally lost their head, as you could see by the hole at the top of the body.
Each face, hair and detail on the hands and uniforms were unique. It is thought that they were modelled after soldiers or the artist that made them.
Most of the warriors were holding wooden weapons, which had long since disintegrated.
As the entire pit was in varying degrees of being excavated, we were able to see what they looked like when the were found.
It's a huge puzzle waiting to be solved.
It's also a little eerie to see a face looking out at you.
There were wooden chariots as well, however, even though they were long gone, the impression left by the wheels could still be seen.
The holding area where the archeologists began to make sense of what was in a certain area.
This part had the top soil removed to expose the logs that formed the roof over the warriors. The long sections of clay between the sets of warriors did not contain other warriors, but rather their purpose was to serve as walls and support the logs. These logs were then covered in reed mats and then soil, to successfully hide them for over 2000 years. Unfortunately, this soil was too much weight to bare and the logs collapsed. Fortunately, this eliminated oxygen and light from the pits, thus preserving the warriors and their beautiful colours. Unfortunately, the warriors were also crushed. Fortunately, the archeologists were a bunch of smartypants and were able to reassemble them.
Warriors, reassembled and ready to rejoin their brethren back in the pit.
Oh yeah, Eryl was there.
Me too.
The end of the building covering Pit One. Beneath those standing warriors are 4000 more, yet to be uncovered.
In the building covering Pit Three we could see the command centre. These were warriors of higher command, that were distinguished by their different hair styles (if you were apparently lucky enough to still have your head), shoes that had upturned toes, and a bigger belly. There were less of them and they were all facing one another.
Pit Two contained the calvary. Like Pit Three, little was excavated here as they were waiting for improvements in the technology that preserves colour.
Some of the articles in the pits were quite damaged.
In this section of Pit Two, they had just uncovered the roof of reed mats supported by beams. You could see how the beams gave way and had collapsed on the calvary.
We will have to return in about twenty years as, through the beauty of sonar, they have also discovered not only the Emperor who is responsible for all this, but also sixty more tombs, each one containing thousands of a single item such as cows, birds, musicians and even concubines. Apparently everything that the Emperor liked he wanted to take with him to the afterlife. I wonder how many years ice cream would last buried under ground?
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