Emperor Qinshihuang mausoleum

Over 400 funeral pits and a massive quantity of other goods were recently excavated from the Emperor Qinshihuang (the first Emperor of Qin) in Shaanxi province. Most of the burial objects were animal remains or animal-shaped pottery and copperware.

Most of the objects were related to horses - either horse remains or horse-shaped goods. In addition, the remains of a number of other species, including deer, muntjac, cranes and swans, were also among the excavated objects. Historians believe that the number of harnessed or domesticated animals in the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) was 12, with horses being the most important due to their strategic value.

Terrocotta soliders in the Emperor Qinshihuang mausoleum

The discovery also proves that, dating back to 2,000 years ago, animals were not only hunted for meat, but were also used more widely in art and society.

The mausoleum of Emperor Qinshihuang is five kilometers east of Lintong County, 35 kilometers from Xi'an City in Shaanxi Province.

In the spring of I974, when peasants sank a well in a village near the Mausoleum of Emperor Qinshihuang, burial terracotta warriors and horses were found.