Found by accident, the tomb of Emperor Qin is arguably one of the most astounding finds of all time. In 1947, workers digging a well happened upon a life-size model of a soldier made of terracotta. The Chinese government was notified and government archaeologists were dispatched to the site located outside the city of Xi'an, China.
Thousands of terra cotta figures were found after much digging. Each soldier has a unique facial expression and patches of paint hint at the soldiers once being brightly painted. The soldiers are also position according to rank. The estimated amount of soldiers lies somewhere around 8,000 but the real amount may never really be known. The photograph below shows the sheer magnitude of the army protecting Emperor Qin.
Emperor Qin's tomb itself remains unexcavated but modern tests indicate large concentrations of mercury at the site which give credence to some historical accounts of what is inside the tomb. Some historical texts have been translated as saying that the tomb "contains replicas of the area's rivers and streams made with mercury flowing to the sea through hills and mountains of bronze. Precious stones such as pearls are said to represent the sun, moon, and other stars."
