"Terracotta Army in Color - The REAL Colors That Is!" Topic

Check out the current issue of National Geographic Magazine; archaeologists have apparently identified and reconstructed the actual colors the First Emperor's terracotta army was painted in:

link

Somehow I have never been able to find the time to pursue building a Warring States/Qin Dynasty/Early Han Dynasty army in 28mm.. perhaps now this is someone telling me something…?

Leland R. Erickson

Thats pretty cool. Good for painting ideas to be sure.

Gives a whole different look than the black-clad army from the movie "Hero", doesn't it?

"no uniforms," another horror to paint.

Very…colorful! Even though not uniform per se, the colors look like they have a basic palette. Lots of green and purples. Dean

That looks like an interesting one to paint.

Actually, those may very well be uniforms, gang! Each of the colors may be the equivalent to our modern Western practices of issuing stripes to privates of various grades and non-commissioned ranks, so they *may* indicate the functional equivalent of private/PFC/lance corporal/corporal/sergeant/etc.

As the Qin army was noted as practicing the "incentive program" of having soldiers bring in enemy heads in return for rewards for demonstrating in a singular fashion they'd been out doing their jobs, these differing coat colors may also indicate number of heads taken in a fashion akin to the Mexica (aka, "Aztec") practice of issuing different uniforms and regalia for the similar accomplishment of bringing in captives for religious sacrifice. The Aztec line of battle thus looked to European eyes as a riot of colored feathered costumes, but to the "locals" it was a highly organized, professional body and the meaning of who was whom amongst the rank-and-file and who were the officers was crystal clear.

Just sayin'…

Leland R. Erickson

Thanks for the heads-up! Is it also in the print copy?

Super video. Thanks for sharing.

Skeptic,

yup. That's where I first learned of it (been a subscriber for decades now). That's how I wound up going to the website, as there's supposed to be an i-Pad app…

Leland R. Erickson

Thanks, BWP. I didn't see it in the latest number (May?) at a local magazine store – are subscription copies out before they reach the stores?

Yes thanks, definitely food for thought! I got to buy the June issue.

Having been to Xian with the family (the town is full of course of workshops making copies of the warriors) there is a 7 Wonders of the World kind of museum/theme park down one side street – with models of various said Wonders like the Hanging Gardens etc. At first I thought it was a bit cheesy but actually it was quite good – then as one walks round one corner there is a long corridor like room filled with full size Terracotta Warriors – all painted – the effect esp when one looked back was quite stunning even though there were maybe only 60-100 there and made the point, reinforced by this film, that how we see them today is a shadow of what they would have looked like when the tomb was built.

Quote from Chinese website
:About 8,000 life-size warriors and horses, more than 100 wooden chariots and several hundred thousand bronze weapons have been found in the three pits. The excavation of the pits continues on schedule.

In recent years, the archaeological study and protection of the terra-cotta warriors and horses has also made good progress.

The painted kneeling crossbow archers found in Pit No. 2 have been renovated. They have rosy cheeks and wear light green, collared robes and crimson trousers. A kneeling crossbow archer's head found in the same pit has also been recovered, but the reason his hair and pupils were painted black and his face was painted green remains unknown.

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'Green face' – I bet the guy who did it claimed it was pro-painted too!

According to archaeologists, although many craftsmen used different methods to make the terra-cotta warriors, the process of manufacture can be generalized in four steps, which include modeling, sculpturing, baking and painting. The painted terra-cotta warriors discovered in the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang are a marvel of world sculpture.

Actually, those may very well be uniforms, gang! Each of the colors may be the equivalent to our modern Western practices of issuing stripes to privates of various grades and non-commissioned ranks, so they *may* indicate the functional equivalent of private/PFC/lance corporal/corporal/sergeant/etc.

Yup, and several other Chinese or Chinese-inspired ranking systems used colors as the primary indicator.

I'd certainly paint them that way!

Strangely I can see text under my pro-painted comment that I did not write!