Looking at the craftsmanship of the ancient Qin Dynasty in China from the Terracotta Warriors and Horses

[Compiled and published by New Sancai] Fifty years ago, a group of Chinese farmers accidentally discovered life-size terracotta warriors and horses while digging a well near the emperor's mausoleum in northeastern Xi'an, China. This revealed the historical story of the terracotta warriors and horses of the Qin Dynasty in ancient China. People get a glimpse of the culture of the ancient Qin Dynasty.

These terracotta warriors and horses, which have been buried in the earth for more than 2,000 years, are armed with weapons and wearing seemingly special shoes. They are arranged in military formations to guard Qin Shihuang. According to research, this terracotta warriors and horses army of about 7,000 people is modeled in life size, and almost every terracotta warriors and horses have different expressions and postures.

The shoes worn by the kneeling archers in the Terracotta Warriors attracted the attention and interest of Chinese researchers. Therefore, researchers analyzed the structure and special soles of this shoe. Their analysis found that these humble shoemaking technologies may play an important role in war.

The researchers published the results of this study (which has not yet been reviewed and has not yet been formally published in an academic journal) on the website ( https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-3279731/v1 ). After analyzing the archers' shoes, Chinese researchers copied the shoes using the methods and materials used to make warrior shoes during the Qin Dynasty. Then they compared the copied shoes with modern thousand-layer shoes and found that the warrior shoes of the Qin Dynasty were very flexible and could provide comfortable, stable and efficient walking functions, and the soles had good resistance to slippery ground. Sliding performance.

What’s surprising is that the soles are made of multiple layers of hemp silk woven and stitched together. The absorbent material on the soles allows soldiers to walk steadily on wet ground. The researcher said that when he received a modern replica of the shoes worn by Qin Dynasty soldiers, he was surprised by their sophistication. The layers of stitching on the sole are neatly arranged, very soft and comfortable, and very flexible.

The soles of samurai shoes have different densities according to different foot areas. The weaving method is obviously designed according to the ergonomics of the foot, which can provide the best comfort and support, and are very durable. The material properties of the soles also allow soldiers to move on wet or slippery surfaces. These finely crafted shoes appear to be similar to certain styles of modern shoes.

Researchers say that although the sole is a small item, it allows us to understand the Qin Dynasty's lifestyle and its craftsmanship and culture. Also surprising are the warriors' clothes and the colors of their clothes. The original colors of some samurai warriors when they were unearthed are still intact. The terracotta warriors and horses were painted in several different colors during production, which is believed to be the color of the clothing worn by the soldiers themselves when they were copied.

When these unearthed terracotta warriors and horses were first unearthed, their faces and clothing had intact colors, but as soon as they were unearthed, due to exposure to oxygen in the environment, the paint on their bodies would immediately begin to peel off, turning them into bare clay statues. According to research, these pigments contain protein components, possibly from eggs and colloids derived from animals. It was also found that different terracotta warriors and horses had different paint materials, which shows that the people who painted the paints probably used local materials or used different materials to make paints based on their professional experience.

And all warriors also wear distinctively colored clothing. Yuan Zheng, known in China as the father of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses, carefully described the colors of the Terracotta Warriors' clothing and accessories in his papers. For example, light green pants, brown crown, black shoes, and colorful armor. When a warrior figurine was unearthed, he was wearing a green coat, a red collar and cuffs, blue trousers, purple protective gear on his legs, a red belt around his head, and dark brown shoes. According to Yuan Zheng's research, purple was one of the four favorite clothing colors of the Qin Dynasty people. The other three colors were blue, green, and red.

This army of terracotta warriors and horses does not exist at all in China's historical records. They were forgotten in Qin Shihuang's tomb for more than two thousand years. There is an article on a website called "Zhengjian.org" that looks like a myth ( https://big5.zhengjian.org/node/261340 ), saying that this was deliberately arranged by God. Is it real? This is just like people wondering whether there is a God.

One study also found that no two statues had exactly the same ears. Two years ago, a group of researchers analyzed the facial features of nearly 30 modern Chinese soldiers of various ethnic groups and found that the features of these terracotta warriors were very similar to those of some modern Chinese people. Therefore, the researchers inferred that these The statues are based on real people. These sculptures look more like people from northern and western China. Archaeologists involved in the study said that the Qin Dynasty people originated from the western region of China, and part of the Qin Dynasty's army was the Rong tribe. The Rong tribe was a nomadic tribe in the northwest of mainland China, and was apparently conquered by Qin Shihuang.

(Compiled by: Mulian)

(Editor: Jiang Qiming)

(Source of the article: Compiled and published by New Sancai)