Qin tomb

or Ch'in tomb

Major Chinese archaeological site near the ancient capital city of Chang'an (now Xi'an), a 20-sq-mi (50-sq-km) funerary compound built by the first sovereign emperor, Qin Shihuangdi. In 1974 workers drilling a well discovered a subterranean chamber that contained an army of some 6,000 life-size terra-cotta soldiers with individually detailed faces, as well as horses, weapons, and other objects. Three nearby chambers containing more than 1,400 figures have also been unearthed; the tomb itself has not yet been excavated. Archaeologists anticipate that it will take many years to unearth the rest of the complex. The mausoleum is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

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