Archaeologists uncover major new find studying China’s mysterious 2,000 year old Terracotta Army

A 2,000-year-old tomb guarded by thousands of terracotta soldiers continues to surprise archaeologists after a new major find was discovered at the site in rural China.

Known as the Terracotta Army, it is one of the most famous discoveries in humanity's history.

With 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots and 520 horses, the sculptures - made purely out of terracotta - were only found in 1974. Guarding the tomb of China's very first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, they had stood in place since the late 200s BC; making them more than 2,200 years old.

Qin Shi Huang is one of the most influential people in China's history as the first leader to unite the country after centuries of regional conflict.

New finding at the Terracotta Army

Despite being found back in 1974, work continues on the site with new finds discovered over the years since.

And now, according to the head of the excavation project, Zhu Sihong, a first-of-its-kind find has been located in the area.

An area known as Pit 1 is where the biggest find to date has been located, with 3,000 figures in an area 230 metres long and 62 metres wide.

But it is in Pit 2 - home to war chariots and cavalry - where the newfound has been located.

Here a brand new figure has been located.

Zhu, speaking to China's state broadcaster CCTV, said: "Based on its location, we believe this figure was likely the highest-ranking military commander of this unit."

Why is it important?

The find is a life-size - and decorated - figure believed to be that of a senior military official.

Now, the hope is that it could be a huge point in understanding the Qin dynasty, which only ruled from 221BC to 207BC.

According to CCTV, the armour is adorned with detailed patterns, ribbons, and floral knots.

It is only the tenth of its kind ever to be found in the tomb home to more than 8,000 statues and a size of more than 20 square miles.

“These adornments on the high-ranking officers indicate how special they are,” Xiuzhen Janice Li, an archaeologist at the University of Oxford, told Live Science.

Li, who worked at Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s Mausoleum Site Museum, added: "The style and colour of the adornments featured the aesthetic taste and social status symbols of the time.

"The arrangement of the high-ranking officers in the military formation reflected the military strategy, such as [the] commanding system in the Qin dynasty."

The tomb

Found back in 1974, the Terracotta Army and the tomb of Qin Shi Huang were discovered by accident.

This was after local farmer Yang Zhifa came across fragments of pottery when digging for a well.

Once uncovered, the tomb came as a genuine surprise with no historical documentation of it ever existing. The entire thing had sat untouched, and unknown, for 2,200 years.

A colorful head of a terracotta warrior depicting a military officer was unearthed Wednesday in Xi'an City, northwest China's Shannxi Province, marking a rarity of the half-century unearthing of the tomb of Emperor Qinshihuang.https://t.co/asHICBPGEI pic.twitter.com/Fp2BSVfCwI

— CCTV+ (@CCTV_Plus) December 18, 2024

While the sculptures mostly look like the terracotta they are made of, they were actually painted at the time to represent the people they portrayed.

Traces still exist but most of the paint didn't last the time, with reports that some of the painted surfaces started to flake and fade as soon as they were excavated.

As for the tomb of Qin Shi Huang - which is sealed airtight - it remains unopened to this day due to issues regarding preserving what is on the inside. There is also a fear of the tomb being boobytrapped due keep grave robbers out.

As of now, all archaeological proposals have been rejected by China.