Qin Terracotta Artisans-skilled but unfortunate creators
The History of Records by Sima Qian in ancient China described artisans like this: 700,000 people involved in its construction. 3 groundwater tables penetrated. Gaps between the underground rocks filled with molten copper.
Inside the tomb, dedicated spaces given for each of Qin's minister and his grotesque treasures. Protected by mechanical trap, any invader shot dead by automatic arrows.” “To protect the secret of tomb, all labors and architects locked up inside the tomb and never see light again." Therefore, there is not only the secret of Emperor Qin Shihuang that was buried under the ground. These skilled craftsmen, as well as the soldiers, fulfilled the Emperor Qin Shihuang's dream of ruling in the after-world. But the secret of these artisans is also intriguing. Where were they from and how did they spend their daily life? And why were they buried?
During the excavation and repair work on the terracotta warrior figures, experts discovered many names carved or printed on the bodies of them. So far 87 different names have been recognized. They were hidden in such places as the hips or under the arms of the terracotta warrior statues. Further research has shown that these 87 people were the master craftsmen, and that these craftsmen had assistants of their own, and about a thousand people participated in the making of the terracotta warriors.
According to the records, they not only came from Shaanxi, where the terracotta warriors were discovered, but also from today's Henan, Hubei, Shandong and Shanxi Provinces. They are either from central pottery workshops, whose works look dignified and majestic; or from private pottery workshops, whose carved figures look lively and fresh. Also, the technical skill level is reflected in the appearance of the warrior figures.
Bamboo slips unearthed in the pit recorded some of their letters home and from these we can catch a glimpse of their daily life. One soldier (or maybe an artisan) wrote, "Mother, if the cloth is too expensive at home, please send me some money, and I can buy some cloth here and sew padded jackets myself." An artisan wrote, "I have to work carefully every day, if I paint the weapons incorrectly, my officer will punish me very severely." From those words, we can see that these common people lived a stressful and hard life when they worked for the emperor.
However, even though the contribution of all the artisans to the Qin Empire was incalculable, their fate was sealed. After the death of the Emperor Qin Shihuang, they were buried alive in the tomb passages so that the secret of the mausoleum would not be revealed. The poor artisans became the victims of the death of Emperor Qin Shihuang and guarded the entrance to his tomb for over two-thousand years.
Some words caved or printed on the body of the terracotta warriors and horses are still mystery waiting to be worked out. We’ll know more about these artisans after settling these puzzles.
More
Emperor Qin Shihuang- an eternity emperor
Pit No.1: the largest pit among the three
Various and vivid works
Pit No.2: mysterious array of troops
Great discovery of Terracotta Warriors and Horses
Pit No.3: the supposed headquarter
The Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses