Qinling Terracotta Warriors and Horses From the day it broke ground to 2020, no one in archaeology or historiography has ever doubted its era. However, in 1984, a comrade engaged in modern architecture actually came up with a new insight. Not only did he advance the age of the Qin Warriors Pit by half a century, he also referred to the owner of the Qin Warriors Pit, Qin Shihuang, as the Queen Mother. As a result, the "age" of the Qin warriors pit, which was not a problem, has attracted the attention of the world.
Who is the Queen Mother?
"Historical Records" records that she was the mother of King Zhaoxiang, who died in October of the 42nd year of King Xiang (265 BC) and was buried in Lishan, Zhiyang. The Queen Mother was more than 60 years away from Qin Shihuang by three generations. At that time, the national power of the Qin State was very limited, coupled with frequent foreign wars, under this situation, even the size of the tomb of the monarch himself was very limited. It is simply impossible to deploy a large amount of manpower and material resources to build a large-scale project like the terracotta warriors.
Let's talk about the Qin State at that time, who was very particular about tomb specifications. From ordinary civilians to ministers, from ministers to monarchs, the size of the tombs and the thickness of the coffins are all determined by their status in life. Under such a rigorously hierarchical burial system, even the famous King Zhaoxiang and King Zhuangxiang of the Qin Kingdom did not build any large burial pits. Why would they build such a large-scale terracotta warrior for an insignificant Queen Mother? pit?
So, why attach the pit of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses to the Queen Mother Xuan's name? The people who questioned
mainly made a fuss about the age of the pit. According to his textual research on , "The Qin Army updated its own equipment with sophisticated steel weapons." "Who would dare to risk the world's unrest and use such old and inferior weapons as a funeral for Qin Shihuang."
seems reasonable at first glance, but if you think about it carefully, you will understand that this is not the case. Judging from the history of weapon casting in the Qin Kingdom, before Qin Shihuang unified the country, almost all weapons cast by the central government or local governments were bronze weapons. After reunification, until the first year of the second century, the weapons cast by the Qin government were still bronze. At present, the weapons of the Qin Dynasty discovered by archaeology are mainly bronze weapons, and steel weapons are rare. Therefore, the Qin army was basically equipped with bronze weapons at that time, and a large number of bronze weapons unearthed in the pit of the Qin warriors were in line with the actual equipment of the Qin army. If we artificially advance the age of the warriors and warriors of the Qin warriors and pits, it is not convincing in itself, and there is no reason to deny the age of the warriors and warriors and warriors.
Why do you say that the pit of the Terracotta Warriors must be from the period of Qin Shihuang?
1. A large number of weapons with date inscriptions in the pit of Qin warriors.
We say that the age of the Qin warrior pit can only be the Qin Shihuang period, because a large number of weapons with date inscriptions were found in the two pits. It provides a direct chronological basis for determining the age of the Qin warrior pit. These weapons are clearly engraved with "three years of construction by the minister and Lu Buwei." "Four years..., "five years..." "Seven years..." and "14 years of temple construction" beryllium, " Fifteen years...", "16 years", "17 years", 19 years", etc. The reigns here are the year of Qin Shihuang. That is to say, the warriors in the warrior pits were all cast during the Qin Shihuang period, and the stratum when the weapons were unearthed was not disturbed. The age of the warriors clearly shows that the warrior warriors pit can only be Qin Shihuang. Imagine if the warrior pit was the Queen Mother, how could weapons that were decades later than the Queen Mother Xuan unearthed?
2. There are also texts on the ornaments of the pits and horses as an important basis for dating.
The word "Temple work" in the Zhu book was found on the ornaments of the pit carriages and horses of the second figurines. There is also the word "Temple Worker" in the Zhu book on the wooden handle of the weapon in Pit No. 1. Temple workers belonged to the foundry bureau of the Qin Dynasty government, mainly producing weapons, carriages and horses. The “Temple Worker” was first seen in the second year of Emperor Shi Huang. It belongs to one of the newly established government offices during the Qin Shihuang period. The carriage and horse decorations made by the "Temple Workers" official office are undoubtedly Qin Shihuang period. The carriage and horse decorations of the Qin Shihuang period will never appear in the burial pit of the Queen Mother.
3. The bricks and pottery inscriptions found in the pit of Qin warriors are also a direct basis for dating.
It is exactly the same size, color, temperature, texture, and weight of the bricks unearthed from the Lingxi architectural site. There is even the slightest difference in the content, style, and stamping method of the pottery on the bricks. The bricks unearthed in the pit of the warriors and the bricks used in the Lingxi construction site were made at the same time. As long as the Lingxi site belongs to the period of Qin Shihuang, the age of the warrior pit can only be that of Qin Shihuang.
To sum up, it is only a one-sided view that the Terracotta Warriors Pit is the burial pit of the Empress Dowager. The true owner of the Terracotta Warriors Pit is undoubtedly Qin Shihuang!
