Terracotta Warriors Pit. Xinhua News Agency, Xi'an, November 30th - The famous claim that the terracotta warriors were part of Emperor Qin Shi Huang's "underground army" has been challenged by a new theory proposed by geology experts after thirty years of research. They believe that the terracotta warriors were actually models used for military education and training, as well as teaching aids for tactical demonstrations. Thus, the terracotta warriors pit is considered to be the site of a military academy of the Qin state, reigniting the question of "Who am I" regarding the terracotta warriors.
The nature and ownership of the terracotta warriors pit
Researcher Sun Jiachun from the Shaanxi Provincial Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources began studying the geomorphology of the Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang thirty years ago and developed a passion for the terracotta warriors. He told reporters: "What is the nature and ownership of the terracotta warriors pit? Currently, the academic community generally believes it to be a group of burial pits, with the terracotta warriors being funeral objects. However, it is obvious that the terracotta warriors are over a thousand meters away from the outer city wall of the mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, and there are no 'generals' directing in the warrior pits. According to the 'treat death as life' system, wouldn't such a situation of 'bodyguard army' indicate neglecting Emperor Qin Shi Huang himself and leaving their posts without permission?"
Sun Jiachun said: "The terracotta warriors obviously have more practical functions. The unprecedented and unparalleled terracotta warriors created by the highly talented Emperor Qin Shi Huang and his ministers must have had a great use serving the highest strategic interests of the Qin state at that time, namely the unification war. Using the terracotta warriors as a military school for cultivating a fierce army would be the best option."
Sun Jiachun's academic viewpoint was recently published in the core journal of military science, "Military History," titled "The Terracotta Warriors Pit: A Military School Site That Laid the Foundation for the Great Qin Empire." The article elaborates on the conclusion that "the terracotta warriors pit is the site of a Qin military school."
The four pits forming an organic whole military school
Regarding the relationship between the four terracotta warrior pits, he believes that the four pits form an organic whole, where the three pits containing warriors represent different formations of soldiers, while the fourth pit, which does not contain warriors, serves as a drill ground for military exercises and a practice field for tactical demonstrations using warrior and horse figurines and chariots.
Previously, terracotta warrior researcher Wang Xueli believed that "Pit No.1 is a formation ready for battle," "Pit No.2 is a miniature of a permanent camp," "Pit No.4 represents a battle formation," and Pit No.3 has theories about it being a military tent or altar.
Sun Jiachun believes that the pits reflect the thoughts of the renowned military strategist Wei Liao, the highest military official of the Qin state. To date, no high-ranking commanding general figures have been found in the three pits, possibly because "military lecturers" replaced the generals. As a "permanent formation," the terracotta warriors exhibit a menacing posture facing eastward, with a clear strategy targeting the six eastern states as hypothetical enemies. The three pits together form a group of soldier-training fields, while one pit without warriors forms a drill field. The nearly 20,000 square meter 'hut' style barracks south of the pits, along with the buildings covered with roof tiles for administrative personnel before and after the pits, together constitute an organic whole of a Qin military school.
Analysis of the relationship between the terracotta warriors pit and the mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang
Sun Jiachun believes that constructing the Qin mausoleum served as a cover for building the military school represented by the terracotta warriors pit. The Qin state's determination to unify the east was inevitable, and Emperor Qin Shi Huang's actions in building the mausoleum allowed the military school represented by the terracotta warriors pit to remain hidden, thereby cultivating batches of military talents for the Qin state to dedicate themselves to the unification war.
Instance Analysis
The open and practical design of the warrior pits doesn't resemble burial pits
In the analysis of the architectural layout and engineering structure characteristics of the warrior pits, taking Pit No.1 as an example, Sun Jiachun believes that the warrior pits are semi-basement buildings lacking the necessary concealment required for burial pits but possess the characteristic of practical openness. He analyzed: "In addition to having numerous passages that clearly demonstrate openness and the convenience of entry and exit, the height of the warrior pit space is 3.2 meters, exceeding the floor height of modern buildings by about 0.5 meters. Pit No.1 can be considered a super-large hall in a combined arrangement, with evident practical functions."
News Background
The Eighth Wonder of the World originates from perceptions like burial pits
After the discovery of the Qin terracotta warriors in the 1970s, through the efforts of researchers in archaeology and history, it was gradually clarified that there are four heritage pits (also known as the four Qin warrior pits). Among them, Pits No.1, No.2, and No.3 all contain terracotta warriors and horses, while Pit No.4 is empty and located between Pits No.2 and No.3. This led to the preliminary formation of the perception that the Qin terracotta warriors pits are burial pits of the Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, and the Qin terracotta warriors are the "underground army" of the Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, hailed as the "Eighth Wonder of the World."