In an ordinary field in China’s Shaanxi region in 1974, farmers made one of the most significant archaeological discoveries in human history. Clay pieces depicting a human figure were unearthed during the excavation. The things we saw here were only the beginning. Thousands of terracotta models of soldiers, war horses, acrobats, high officials, and other animals were discovered in several pits underneath the field during archaeological digs.
This Terracotta Army appears to have been tasked with protecting the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of the powerful Qin dynasty who reigned from 221 to 210 BCE.
Even though there is a great deal of mystery surrounding the emperor’s tomb, it has never been opened even though a lot of the necropolis surrounding the mausoleum has been studied. For nearly two thousand years, since the feared monarch was confined there, no one has likely set foot inside this tomb.
This hesitation stems mostly from archaeologists’ fears that damaging the tomb during excavation could lead to the loss of important historical data. At the moment, the only way to enter the tomb would be to apply invasive archaeological procedures, which carry a high danger of damaging the site beyond repair.
Heinrich Schliemann’s excavations of Troy in the 1870s are a prime illustration of this. A lot of the evidence of the city he was trying to find was lost due to his haste and naiveté. Archaeologists know they can’t afford to rush things like this again.
Certain non-invasive approaches have been proposed by scientists as a way to peer into the tomb. As an example, muons can be used to see through structures like a sophisticated X-ray. These subatomic particles are created when cosmic rays collide with atoms in Earth’s atmosphere. The majority of these ideas, though, appear to be moving at a snail’s pace.
There may be other, more immediate, and terrible consequences for opening the tomb. Around a hundred years after Qin Shi Huang’s death, ancient Chinese historian Sima Qian wrote an account detailing the tomb’s elaborate booby traps.
There were palaces and picturesque towers built for a hundred officials, and the tomb was stocked with priceless antiques and treasure. The tomb guards have been instructed to shoot anyone who enters with crossbows and loaded arrows. The enormous sea, the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, and the hundred rivers were all represented by mercury and made to flow mechanically, according to the text.
Toxic liquid mercury could wash over the gravediggers even if the ancient bow weapons don’t work. That might sound like an empty threat, but scientists have identified substantially greater concentrations of mercury than they would expect to find in a regular piece of land in the area around the tomb.
Based on their findings, the authors of one report published in 2020 suggest that “highly volatile mercury may be escaping through cracks, which developed in the structure over time,” despite widespread belief that the tomb has never been opened or looted.
Qin Shi Huang’s grave has been sealed off and hidden from view for the time being, yet he has not been forgotten. However, scientific progress at the appropriate time could potentially explore the secrets that have been dormant here for about 2,200 years.
