Current location - Music Encyclopedia - Today in History - Historical background of terracotta warriors and horses of Qin Shihuang
Historical background of terracotta warriors and horses of Qin Shihuang
The eighth wonder of the world 1974, the discovery of terracotta warriors and horses pit in Qin Shihuang's mausoleum shocked the world. This underground sculpture group, which was built in the 3rd century BC, shows people the glory of ancient oriental culture with its majestic momentum, powerful and orderly military array and lifelike pottery figurines. No matter when it was built, its architectural scale and artistic effect are comparable to the seven wonders of the world. Therefore, the reputation of the eighth wonder of the world spread like wildfire and became synonymous with the Terracotta Warriors and Horses in the Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang.

The Terracotta Warriors Museum is the largest site museum in China. In addition to the protection exhibition halls of Pit No.1, Pit No.2 and Pit No.3, there are also cultural relics exhibition rooms unearthed from Terracotta Warriors and Horses Pit and Qinling bronze chariots and horses exhibition room.

The most important discovery of the 20th century.

Xiyang village was originally an unknown ordinary village at the northern foot of Mount Li. Villagers in Xiyang village dug a well beside the persimmon forest in the south of the village. It is located at the front of Lishan alluvial fan. After being silted up by mountain torrents and mudslides, the cultivated land is mixed with pebble bushes and abandoned wasteland. When they dug to a depth of more than 1000 meters, they found that there were red-stewed clay sintered blocks, carbon chips and ashes below. Everyone thought they hit the old brick kiln site and continued to drive down. On the west side of the shaft wall deep in Mido, the villagers were surprised when the dark light finally showed Prince Wa's quiet face. It happened that Fang Shumin, a commune cadre, came to check the progress of well drilling. He went down to the bottom of the well and observed carefully, and found that the bricks on the ground were exactly the same as those found near the mausoleum of Qin Shihuang. He quickly told everyone to stop drilling, and then rushed to the county seat to report that the eighth wonder of the world in the year of the annihilation of the county cultural center had returned to the world.

This is a memorable day, year, month and day.

The pinnacle of China sculpture art

The sculptures in the pre-Qin period were primitive and naive, and the artistic style of China's sculptures was formed after accepting Buddhist culture. It is characterized by high generalization, concise lines, romantic style, emphasis on decoration, and emphasis on shape without losing realism. However, the discovery of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses in Qin Dynasty made American art history experts at home and abroad stunned. People have found the peak of oriental classical realistic sculpture art 2000 years ago, and found a long-lost page in the history of China fine arts! It strictly uses realistic creative techniques, and the measurement of physical structure, proportion and texture is based on accurate anatomical structure. From the face of Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses, we can see the exact position of cheekbones, eyebrows and jaws under the skin and muscles, and the size and proportion of the five senses are meticulous. Every bump in the body conforms to the anatomical structure of the human body, and even the breed can be judged from the shape of the horse. Not only that, these artists also pay attention to grasping the role tightly. Pursuing changes from the facial expressions, inner activities, mental states and other aspects of the characters, they have created many vivid artistic shapes with different expressions, both in form and spirit, and none of them are the same.

No.1 pit-the main lineup of Su Weijun

Pit No.1 Protection Exhibition Hall is the earliest building in the Terracotta Warriors Museum. It was built and opened in three terracotta warriors and horses pits on June 1979. It was discovered the earliest and the largest. The pit is an east-west rectangle with an area of14260m2. There is a rammed partition wall with a width of 10 of 2.5 meters in the pit, forming 9 rooms with a width from north to south. More than 65,438+0,000 unearthed pottery figurines, 32 chariots and pottery horses, and nearly10,000 bronze weapons were excavated around the cloister. According to the arrangement density of unearthed terracotta warriors and horses, it is estimated that there are more than 6000 terracotta warriors and horses buried in pit 1.

This is an infantry-based main force with vanguard guards and wing guards, with both chariots and horses. Large scale and compact layout. At the eastern end, three rows of infantry figurines face the east, each with 68 statues. Behind the front of the army array are 38 chariots and infantry, which constitute the main body of the army array. There are 1 columns on the north and south sides and the west end respectively, which are the two wings of the army array.

The pottery figurines here can be divided into infantry figurines, crossbowmen figurines, chariot figurines and cavalry figurines, which are arranged in rows or rows, each holding a different weapon posture. Crossbowmen figurines hold bows and arrows. Chariot figurines followed the chariot with weapons, and cavalry figurines stood beside the horse, holding the horse in one hand and holding weapons in the other. Strict rank system is an important guarantee for the combat effectiveness of the army. From the different costumes and weapons of the terracotta figures, it can be clearly seen that the soldiers with the lowest rank wear short brown hair, long beard, no armor on the chest and leggings, while the soldiers with higher rank wear short hair or a small round hat. Except for short brown hair, short armor, short boots or square mouth, the junior military attache wears a single long crown, and the senior military attache wears a long black armor with a shirt. The colorful lace breastplate on the outer cover of the combat suit or the uniform fish scales before and after the combat suit are different. The general wears a long crown with double curly tails, which is tied under his neck and hangs over his chest. This kind of crown is also called crane crown. The original crown has black chicken tails on both sides. It is said that the crane is a bird with brave and aggressive temperament. The general wore a double combat suit until his death. The outer cover of the robe has a strange aluminum armor, and the aluminum armor chest is triangular and consists of fish scales. General Yong, with ribbons tied to his shoulders and chest, was surrounded by a group of officers. He has a dignified face, a beard and a beard, his feet are apart, his right hand holds his left arm and wrist, and his hands are placed in front of his abdomen, which seems to be a sword-leaning posture. Another general Yong, who was originally standing on the battlefield, had a long beard under his forehead and pressed his sword step with his left hand, which could be seen from the different weapons he held. General Yong and senior military commanders only have swords for low-level command and self-defense.

Pit No.2 —— Uncovering the Mystery of Ancient Military Array

No.2 pit is located about 20 meters north of No.1 pit, which was discovered during the archaeological exploration of 1976. The plane is ruler-shaped, with the longest meter from east to west, the widest meter from north to south and the depth of about meters, covering an area of about 6000 square meters.

The No.2 pit consists of four units: the first unit, the east protruding part, consists of a kneeling crossbow and a vertical crossbow source; The second unit, the southern half of the pit, consists of four chariots; The third unit, that is, the middle part of the pit combines chariots and disciples; The fourth unit, the northern half of the pit, consists of many cavalry; The four phalanxes are assembled into a rectangular array, which can be attacked, retreated and defended in order. Impeccable, flexible in formation transformation and coordinated from beginning to end, it is not only the antenna of exploratory attack, but also the pioneer of assault attack. It is the only discovery in China's archaeological history and provides a rare intuitive model for understanding the military establishment and combat mode of the Qin Dynasty. According to the known density of local trial excavation, the number of terracotta warriors and horses buried in pit 2 is about 2000, and there will be a large number of bronze weapons. Compared with No.1 pit and No.3 pit, No.2 pit is the essence of Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses pit. Its formation is complex, its arms are complete, its postures are diverse, and its preservation is complete, which is more than that of No.1 pit and No.3 pit. Among them, the kneeling posture of pommel horse cavalry crossbowmen is unique to No.2 pit, and the variety of chariots is also the characteristics of No.2 pit. The chariots here can be divided into four types: command vehicle, auxiliary vehicle and general chariot. The command vehicle is beautifully decorated, painted with beautiful geometric patterns, and has a circular canopy on the roof. There are guards on the car guarding the generals' imperial hand figurines and tolerant figurines. The command tool is the bell and drum hanging on the car. As soon as the drums are beaten, they will attack and retreat. Auxiliary vehicles also have canopies and bells and drums. There are only Yu Shouyong and Rong's figurines in the car, leaving room for the generals' figurines. When fighting, the auxiliary vehicle follows the command vehicle in an emergency. There is also a canopy on the bus, but there is no bell tower. The other two are warrior images. Experts believe that this kind of chariot, as a precursor, leads in advance when marching, challenges in advance when fighting, sends gauntlets to the enemy, and then the two armies formally confront each other. Generally, there is a warrior figure and two warrior figures on the chariot, and the warriors on both sides of the imperial hand hold long weapons such as spears, bows and arrows.

No.2 pit exhibition hall was built in 2000. The building is magnificent and dignified, with the style of Qin Dynasty. There are exhibition rooms, video halls, VIP reception rooms, monitoring rooms, tea rooms, lounges, cultural relics libraries and other supporting facilities. It is the largest, most modern and complete exhibition hall for site protection in China.

The third pit commands the military curtain of the three armed forces.

Pit No.3 and Pit No.2 were discovered in archaeological exploration in 2006, and a protection exhibition hall was built in 2006. It is located on the north side of the west end of No.1 pit, 300 meters away from No.1 pit and about 120 meters away from No.2 pit in the east. These three terracotta figures are arranged in a zigzag pattern.

Among the three pits, the third pit is the only one that has been completely excavated and cleaned, and it is also the smallest one. Its plane structure is concave, with a depth of 5.25.4m and an area of 524m m.. A chariot, a pottery horse, a warrior figure and a bronze weapon were unearthed in pit 3. Except for four chariot figures matched with the chariot, the rest of the warrior figures were arranged in a non-combat formation along the passage. It is not a real weapon such as a crossbow spear, but a sound book that embodies the majesty of etiquette. Experts judge that this is the military curtain of the commander-in-chief of the three armed forces, that is, the command system of the branch of the guards. Although there were many arrangements of ancient armies, the most basic one was that the first pit of the left, middle and right armies was Zuo Jun, the second pit was the right army, and the third pit was the headquarters. So, where is another Zhong Jun? That's digging and expanding. There is no time to build bricks and shed wood, and there is no time to put them in the fourth pit of Terracotta Warriors and Horses for exploration. Although the No.4 pit covers an area of more than 10,000 square meters, it is not dispensable, because these four pits have unified and formed a complete military establishment system, leaving a regrettable historical record: the work of Mount Li was not completed, but Zhang Zhou's million-strong army went below.

Qin copper chariots and horses

1978, the archaeological team of Qin Shihuang Mausoleum discovered a group of sacrificial pits for chariots and horses at a depth of 7.8 meters to the west of Qin Shihuang Mausoleum, and these two bronze chariots and horses were unearthed.

Bronze chariots and horses were originally put in wooden coffins. Due to the age, the wooden coffin rotted and the fill sank, and it was crushed into more than 1000 pieces. In order to facilitate the restoration, archaeologists initially cleaned up the accumulated soil on the upper part of the bronze chariots and horses, inserted steel plates into the ground, hoisted the bronze chariots and horses out of the pit and boxed them, and transported them back to the room for cleaning and splicing. After eight years of hard work, they finally regained their majestic posture.

From the perspective of artistic appreciation, the bronze chariots and horses are impeccable in shape. Light and plump horses are decorated with glittering gold and silver ornaments. Their eyes are fixed on the front, their nostrils are slightly open, their teeth are clenched, their manes are flying in the wind, and their bamboo-like ears are upturned, as if listening to orders. With a wave of their hands, they let go of their hooves and galloped in front of the No.1 bronze chariot and horse, their legs standing side by side, their bodies leaning forward slightly and their hands holding the horse. Gather together, the imperial officer of No.2 bronze chariot sits in the front of the chariot, wearing a cloud-cutting crown and a green sword hanging around his waist. He was wearing a long gown with a round neck facing outwards, clutching the reins and holding high a long-term plan. Like the terracotta warriors, bronze chariots adopt strict realistic techniques, and every muscle of the chariots and horses conforms to the physiological anatomical structure. Even the wrinkles and teeth of the horse's jaw are cast. Even the two cicada-attached black spots and anal sphincter on both sides of the horse's thigh have not ignored the facial eyelashes and hair of the royal officials, and even the fingerprint nails have reached a vivid level. In sharp contrast to the strict realism of plastic arts, the highly romantic techniques used in bronze car painting, the dragon and tiger patterns painted on the hood and the upper part of the car are like Yun Teng fog rolls, such as dancing golden snakes, which are bold and romantic, and the painting style changes suddenly. The brushwork is at arm's length, elegant and smart, coupled with the cast geometric patterns, which makes the exquisite sculpture modeling and gorgeous painted patterns integrate and complement each other.