"Terracotta Army: How Lifelike?" Topic

Now, after creating 3D models of the warriors using new imaging technology, University College London researchers have found the statues were perhaps modeled after real soldiers…

Researchers studied the left ears of 30 warriors and found "considerable variation," reports National Geographic. As the researchers wrote in the Journal of Archaeological Science, "This tentatively supports the hypothesis that the warriors were intended to constitute a real army. … It remains to be seen whether the ears themselves exhibit comparable levels of individuality to what we might expect in a real population of adult males (as seems likely from the warrior height distribution)." That last statement is a reference to a 2003 study published in Antiquity in which the height of 734 terracotta warriors was analyzed; researchers found "the size of the terracotta figures could well represent the true physical stature of the Chinese infantry."

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I find the lack of helmets disturbing, unless the figures were wearing the real thing and it was nicked by rebels or improvident governments later.

When I visited there, I was told that no two faces were identical.

They have no weapons either. So it might have been they were wearing the real thing as you said.

London's findings is old news It has been known for some time that the terra-cotta army was based on individual figures Assembly line procedures allowed sculptors to design individual heads with features that was then attached to separately cast bodies

The models were also brightly painted and had weapons mainly of cast bronze The weapons were either seized when the tomb complex was looted and the figures smashed or destroyed in the subsequent fire.

Helmets were not worn by Chin troops as shown by contemporary illustrations as well as the models. Recent excavations has found the first shield which may indicate other types of troops possibly swordsmen as found in several DBA type lists

National Geographic has some more information including more recent excavations showing non-military aspects of the Chin court There are a lot more pits awaiting excavation

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Worst single attack on a human force by Gorgons ever.

Helmets were not worn by Chin troops as shown by contemporary illustrations as well as the models.

Actually, (stone) helmets were found in association with the Qin, which implies that ones which were made of other materials could well have been worn.

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I took my daughter to the Indy Children's Museum when the exhibit came through like 6 months ago. They have long known them to be unique statues with lots of hand carving on each one. Not sure what is suppose to be so revealing about this article.

The point about observing ears as a method of identification is a good one.

If you have the money to spend you can actually get a full size replica warrior with a head bearing your likeness.