Search the catalogue for collection items held by the National Library of Australia. Find out more Cotterell, Maurice. The terracotta warriors: the secret codes of the emperor's army. In archaeologists discovered the first of more than 8, life-size terracotta warriors, each weighing half a ton, buried circa B. The keepers of this science taught that the soul was immortal and was destined to transform into star energy or be reborn on Earth, depending on an individual's spiritual progress in his or her lifetime.
Using his unique understanding of how and why ancient civilizations encoded this extraordinary knowledge, Cotterell deciphers the emperor's farewell message concealed in the terracotta warriors - a message that reveals the true purpose of life and the imperishable nature of the soul. Request this item to view in the Library's reading rooms using your library card.
To learn more about how to request items watch this short online video. You can view this on the NLA website. Login Register. Current search limits: Clear format limits. Advanced search Search history. Browse titles authors subjects uniform titles series callnumbers dewey numbers starting from optional. See what's been added to the collection in the current 1 2 3 4 5 6 weeks months years. Your reader barcode: Your last name:. Alchemists informed the emperor that magical herbs were to be found on what they claimed were three Islands of the Immortals in the East China Sea.
The emissaries most likely to gain entry to this mystical realm, they asserted, were uncorrupted children; in B. They never returned. Four years later, the emperor sent three alchemists to retrieve the herbs. One of them made it back, recounting a tale of a giant fish guarding the islands.
Legend has it that the first emperor resolved to lead the next search party himself; on the expedition, the story goes, he used a repeating crossbow to kill a huge fish.
But instead of discovering life-preserving elixirs, the emperor contracted a fatal illness. As he lay dying in B. The choice undercut the ambitions of a powerful royal counselor, Zhao Gao, who believed he could govern the country behind the scenes if a more malleable successor were installed. To conceal Qin Shi Huangdi's death—and disguise the stench of a decomposing corpse—until the travelers returned to the capital, Zhao Gao took on a cargo of salted fish.
The delaying tactic worked. Once Zhao Gao managed to return to Xianyang, he was able to operate on his home turf. He managed to transfer power to Ying Huhai, a younger, weaker son. Ultimately, however, the scheme failed. Zhao Gao could not maintain order and the country descended into civil war. The Qin dynasty outlived Qin Shi Huangdi by only four years. The second emperor committed suicide; Zhao Gao eventually was killed. Various rebel forces coalesced into a new dynasty, the Western Han.
For archaeologists, one indicator that Qin rule had collapsed suddenly was the extensive damage to the terra cotta army. As order broke down, marauding forces raided the pits where clay soldiers stood guard and plundered their real weapons. Raging fires, possibly set deliberately, followed the ransacking, weakening support pillars for wooden ceilings, which crashed down and smashed the figures.
Some 2, years later, archaeologists discovered charring on the walls of one pit. Throughout recorded Chinese history, the first emperor's Ebang Palace—its site on the Wei River, south of ancient Xianyang, was not investigated until — was synonymous with ostentation. The structure was said to have been the most lavish dwelling ever constructed, with an upper-floor gallery that could seat 10, and a network of covered walkways that led to distant mountains to the south.
Above it was nothing. His version is more prosaic: "I believe that the first emperor did not want to die. When he was sick, he sent people to find special medicines. The emperor's tomb lies beneath a forested hill, surrounded by cultivated fields about a half-mile from the museum. Out of reverence for an imperial resting place and concerns about preserving what might be unearthed there, the site has not been excavated. Archaeologists speculate that at some point vandals broke into this pit and deliberately destroyed the warriors.
During the archaeological excavation, a villager revealed that he dug out half of a warrior's head in the southern wall of what is now the Qin Terracotta Warriors Museum. He returned the head and archaeologists searched across the various body pieces for a match.
Finally, they matched it to a warrior body discovered in Pit 3. This is one possible explanation for why many of the heads are not in the pit.
Read more: Why are there partition walls in the pit of Terracotta Army? Next: Bronze Chariots and Horses. Answers App. Where is it? Who built it? When built it? Why built it? Discovery in Who found it?
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