The horses in China's world-famous terracotta army were made near the mausoleum of
Qinshihuang (First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty, 259-210 BC), but the
warriors were made elsewhere, according to an analysis of pollen on
the clay.
Scientists from the Institute of Botany in the Chinese Academy
of Sciences put the terracotta clay under a microscope and
identified 32 different kinds of pollen grains.
"The pollen found in the horses was similar to that of
Qinshihuang's mausoleum, but the pollen in the warriors was quite
different," project leader Hu Yaqin told Xinhua News Agency
yesterday.
Qinshihuang's mausoleum is located near Xi'an, capital of
northwest China's Shaanxi Province.
The pollen in the warriors was mainly from herb plants, such as
mustard and cabbage, and plants like sagebrush, wormwood, quinoa,
spinach, beets, and chard. The pollen in the horses came from
trees, such as pine, kamala, and ginkgo.
"We signed an agreement with Qinshihuang's Terracotta Warriors
and Horses Museum in Xi'an, and they gave us 10 to 20 grams of clay
fragments," said Hu.
Scientists guess that the horses were made near Qinshihuang's
mausoleum to make transport easier and safer. The horses weigh
about 200 kilograms (440 pounds) while the warriors weigh 150
kilograms (330 pounds), and they are?two meters long with
delicate fragile legs.
The scientists don't yet know precisely where the warriors were
made.
Hu's article "What Can Pollen Grain Tell Us About Terracotta?"
has been posted on the website of the Journal of Archaeological
Science in London.
"This work may open a new trail for archaeologists in regard to
ancient terracotta or pottery. The pollen can tell us things we
want to know," said Hu.
The statues of warriors and horses were buried with Qinshihuang
more than 2,000 years ago. His mausoleum has never been excavated,
but the life-sized figures were unearthed from surrounding pits in
the 1970s. Warriors and horses were buried with Qinshihuang to
safeguard him after his death.
Because protection problems have only been partially resolved,
only 1,500 terracotta warriors and horses have been unearthed, and
nearly 6,000 items still lie buried in the dark earth.
(Xinhua News Agency February 9, 2007)