In 1974, farmers pioneered one of the most important archaeological discoveries of all time on a modest field in China’s Shaanxi province. During an excavation, they found fragments of a human figure made of clay. But that was just the tip of the iceberg. Archaeological excavations have revealed that the site sits above a series of pits filled with thousands of life-size terracotta models of soldiers and war horses, let alone acrobats, dignitaries and other animals.
It seems that the task of this Terracotta (Terrakota) Army was to protect the nearby mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, the first powerful emperor of the Qin dynasty, who ruled from 221 to 210 BC.
Although much of the necropolis surrounding the mausoleum has been explored, the emperor’s tomb was never opened despite the exciting ruins surrounding it. In fact, no eye has seen the inside of this tomb since the tomb of the feared emperor was sealed over 2,200 years ago.
The reason for hesitation about opening the tomb is because archaeologists are concerned about how excavation could damage the tomb and lose vital historical information. Currently, only invasive archaeological techniques can be used to enter the tomb, causing irreparable damage.
One of the clearest examples of this is seen in Heinrich Schliemann’s excavations in the city of Troy in the 1870s. With his haste and naivety, his excavations here succeeded in destroying almost all traces of the city he set out to uncover. Archaeologists do not want to get impatient and make the same mistakes again.
Scientists propose the idea of using some non-invasive techniques to look inside the tomb. One of these ideas is to use muons, the subatomic product of cosmic rays colliding with atoms in Earth’s atmosphere, that can pass through structures like an advanced X-ray. However, many of these proposals seem to have not been implemented.
Another reason why this tomb was not opened is that opening the tomb would bring with it much more urgent and deadly dangers. A narrative written by the ancient Chinese historian Sima Qian, nearly 100 years after Qin Shi Huang’s death, states that the tomb was equipped with booby traps designed to kill any intruder.
“Palaces and scenic towers were built for a hundred officials, and the tomb was filled with rare artifacts and wonderful treasures. Craftsmen were ordered to make bows and arrows ready to fire at anyone who entered the tomb. Mercury was used and mechanically adjusted to flow to simulate the Hundred river, Yangtze river and Yellow River and the great sea.
Even though the 2,000-year-old weapons will likely no longer work, this explanation suggests that gravediggers may encounter a flood of poisonous liquid mercury. This claim may seem like an empty threat, but when scientific studies examined the mercury concentrations around the tomb, they found much higher levels than expected on a typical piece of land.
The authors of a 2020 paper conclude that “Highly volatile mercury may be seeping through cracks in the structure that developed over time, and our research supports ancient historical records where it is believed that the tomb was never opened/looted.”
Qin Shi Huang’s tomb is sealed and invisible for now, but he is not forgotten. Scientists are waiting for the right time to reveal the secrets that have been lying undisturbed for nearly 2,200 years…
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