Product Description

The Terracotta Army is one of the greatest, and most famous, archaeological discoveries of all time. 8,099 life-size figures of warriors and horses were interred in the Mausoleum of the First Emperor of China - each is individually carved, and they are thought to represent real members of the emperor's army. This is the remarkable story of their creation, the man who ordered them made, their rediscovery and their continuing legacy as a pre-eminent symbol of Chinese greatness. The First Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, was king of the Chinese state of Qin and the first man to unite China into a single empire. He built the first Great Wall and brought a single written script to the whole country. He was an inspired and ruthless ruler, but one also beset by paranoia and a desire for immortality. He is still considered the founding father of the modern state of China. On his death in 210 BC he was buried in a giant mausoleum near modern-day Xi'an. Legends of the treasures contained therein still tantalize the imagination today. In 1974, local farmers digging a well for water broke through into the burial mound and found the first of the Terracotta warriors. Further excavations have revealed the full splendour of the buried army. But the majority of the mausoleum is yet to be opened, including the burial chamber itself - myth tells us that amongst the treasures yet to be uncovered is a vast map of the First Emperor's kingdom with rivers marked with channels of flowing mercury. The story of the First Emperor and the Terracotta Army is a fascinating one, not least for the discoveries yet to be made.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #303555 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 304 pages

From the Back Cover
In 1974 farmers digging a well near present-day Xian unearthed parts of clay figures, opening the way to one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of all time. The Terracotta Army was a total surprise – some 8,000 life-size clay warriors and horses buried in 210 BC as a ‘spirit army’ to guard the tomb of the First Emperor. They had been lying forgotten in their three pits for over 2,000 years.

The First Emperor, the brilliant and ruthless ruler who united China and built the first Great Wall, was beset by paranoia and a desire to dominate in the afterlife, as he had in this one. Around his giant tomb-mound, as yet unopened, other pits concealed a whole spirit world of officials, entertainers, armour, and bronze chariots.

1,000 of the warriors now stand with many other finds in a site that attracts some two million visitors a year. As work continues, there are surely more surprises to come. As John Man suggests, there could even be more warriors still to be discovered. One day, perhaps, the tomb-mound itself will be opened and its legendary treasures revealed.

Weaving together history and first-hand experience from his travels in China, John Man tells the story of how and why these astonishing artefacts were created.

About the Author
John Man is a historian and travel writer with a special interest in Mongolia and China. After reading German and French at Oxford he did two postgraduate courses, one in the history of science at Oxford , the other in Mongolian at the School of Oriental and African Studies. He is the author of GENGHIS KHAN, ATTILA THE HUN and KUBLAI KHAN.

Customer Reviews

terracotta army
This excellent short book deals not only with the terracotta army but also with the first emperor of China-Qin Shi Hung Di (259-210bc)
The book is divided into three a)the Qin empire and the Wei valley where the emperors tomb and the army was found by accident in 1972 b)the tomb and its surroundings c)the army and associated museum.
All sections are well written and researched and are a credit to the author.There is a good appendix 1 on dates and dynastys.Apppendix 2 deals with dates relative to the Qin dynastyand the army.There is a good bibliography.Thecolour pictures are in general excellent but many are too small which is un fortunate but all that can be expected in a small paper back.The maps are useless.

Easily read book about the Army
Easy read adds some character to the story of the army. The Terracotta Army now dried out inside the big hanger looks a little dusty and unreal. Still amazing to see when you know the history and story. There must be more to come in the years ahead when more work is under taken to expose further discoveries.

An interesting gateway to Chinese history
John Man's work is an interesting piece of history, archaeological debate, tourist guide and visual reference to the context and history of the Terracota Army.

I have given the work three stars because although it has particular strengths there are also some areas weaknesses that perhaps detract from the works appeal. The strengths of the text derive from the author's personal knowledge of the region having visited the area the book has the feel of something like a latter day Victorian explorer's diary combining strong geographic description and imagery with pointers to those wishing to visit the Terracotta army. The text further has the benefit of including a good discussion of how the tomb was made from assessing the figures in the source material (both sizes/measurements and numbers of labourers) as well as an illuminating discussion of the mass production of the terracotta soldiers themselves.

The weakness of the work is perhaps in its attempt to write history. John Man has a fondness for very judgemental anecdotes some of which overshadow the history they describe (several unhelpful references to 20th Century totalitarianism seem to detract from understanding the First Emperor - he seems to dismiss any religious component to rulership despite his own source material seeing the Emperor as a divine figure above the law rather than an ideological dictator) he also seems to offer random anecdotes which seem to confuse the point he is making including a gratuitous attack on the Qin religion and Christianity as being incomplete concepts (it is poorly handled and verges on the offensive in it's general dismissal of all religion). Anecdotes aside he also seems to be very opaque as to where he draws his historical narrative from and seems to lack solid analysis of how the first emperor succeeded in conquering the 6 other kingdoms. This is disappointing as there are few popular texts to cover this period in English and a real opportunity seems to have been lost.

The book is worth reading but perhaps as an interesting collection of genre's, I prefer to think of it like a miniature Herodotus, a westerner travelling East reporting his journey for the benefit of a western audience. In this respect the account seems to tell us what was different in Ancient China to our own European heritage, emphasis is placed on Chinese Unity against European dis-unity and there are several other cultural red herrings thrown in to Man's cultural comparison including comparing Legalism against Machiavelli when ther are several ancient Greek works on pragmatic rulership from which a contemposry benchmark could be made.

In a nutshell the book is good where it discusses the Terracotta Army, it is less in command of it's subject when it talks around the subject.