Published : 2025-06-13
After 24 years, the largest Pit No. 1 of the Qin Shi Huang Terracotta Army Museum, located in China's Shaanxi Province, underwent its third archaeological excavation on June 13, 2009.
Apart from discovering two four-horse chariots lined up front to back for the first time, this excavation also found traces of paint on some of the terracotta figures.
The archaeological excavation ceremony was held around 1 p.m. on that day. After the archaeological team of the Terracotta Army Museum received the "excavation license" issued by the national cultural relics department, the excavation work officially commenced.
After a thorough investigation, the archaeological team made three major discoveries that day: the discovery of bronze arrowheads, the discovery of coloured warrior figures, and the discovery of two four-horse chariots positioned very close to each other.
Archaeologists found brown lacquer on a terracotta warrior figure, possibly indicating the presence of paint remnants. Another armoured warrior figure was preserved more completely, with even the hair clearly visible, including a beautiful moustache.
Archaeologists also found some colour stains on the pupils and hair band edges of the warrior figure, which were more prominent compared to the more severely discoloured other side of the face, suggesting a possibility of a large-scale coloured Terracotta Army formation.
According to Cao Wei (曹瑋), then deputy director of the Qin Terracotta Army Museum, the newly discovered two four-horse chariots were "intimately close," a situation that has never been seen before in the history of Terracotta Army archaeology.
It is reported that this excavation will eventually fully penetrate the northern part of Pit No. 1 from east to west. After the excavation and restoration are completed, the number of Terracotta Warriors displayed in Pit No. 1 will be more than doubled compared to before, and it is expected to solve some unsolved mysteries, such as whether there are general figures in Pit No. 1 and the arrangement of the army formation in the pit.
