Discovery!
No one forgot about Qin. Aſt er all, he was the first emperor of China. T e country may even be named aſt er him. In English, Qin is pronounced “chin.” Ancient writers wrote about Qin and his
achievements. Some even described his fancy tomb. One part of his story was forgotten, though. No one wrote about the clay army. It lay buried and forgotten for centuries. T en one day, some farmers dug a well.
Clang! T eir shovels hit something hard. T ey scraped away more dirt. Suddenly, they saw a face. A clay warrior stared up at them. T is find was just the start. Since then,
archaeologists have dug up thousands of clay figures. Piece by piece, these scientists are putting the statues back together. It’s like solving puzzles.
Pieces of the Past
T ese clay puzzles help piece together the past. T e statues represent parts of Qin’s real life. So these buried artifacts show us how Qin lived, fought, and played. From soldiers to acrobats to war horses, each one tells a story. Even the paint holds secrets. Tests show that
most of the colors came from nature. T ey are made from crushed minerals. T e special shade of purple is diff erent. People invented it. T e color is a clue to technology in Qin’s time. Archaeologists have yet to dig up the part of
the city where Qin’s body is buried. It may be too dangerous. Soil samples show traces of poisonous mercury. So the tales of a mercury river, hidden
weapons, and wonderful treasures may be true. Whatever secrets the tomb still holds, one other thing is true. In death, Qin will always be remembered.
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artifact: an object from the past that was made by humans
dynasty: a series of rulers from the same family
reformer: a leader who makes changes to make things better
Qin’s clay army included different kinds of soldiers.
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