A Stash of Buried Treasure in China's Terracotta Army May Confirm an Incredible Legend

Fifty years ago, a routine well-digging operation on the outskirts of Xi’an, China, led to the unexpected discovery of a single clay soldier. When government authorities continued to excavate the well, they found the soldier was just one in a massive terracotta army standing guard over a vast necropolis. It turns out they had discovered the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, a funerary site over 2,000 years old. Half a century later, the legendary mausoleum continues to reveal its secrets, with the latest excavation uncovering a mysterious treasure that may confirm an ancient Chinese legend: A 16-ton casket filled with treasures—including armor, weapons, 6,000 bronze coins, jade, and gold and silver camels—was just unearthed from a tomb within the vast funerary complex, according to The Daily Express. This type of untouched tomb is rare; neither the coffin, nor its treasures, appear to have been plundered by grave robbers across the past two millennia. “Most ancient tombs have been robbed so we didn’t have much hope for the coffin chamber,” excavation leader Jiang Wenxiao told the Express. “But it turned out it hadn’t been robbed. We were amazed.” The tomb, however, was “considerably decayed,” Wenxiao said, and the fear of further degradation finally led archaeologists to excavate and examine it more than a decade after its initial discovery in 2011. [View in Browser]( [Popular Mechanics]( [SHOP]( [EXCLUSIVE]( [SUBSCRIBE]( [A Stash of Buried Treasure in China's Terracotta Army May Confirm an Incredible Legend]( [A Stash of Buried Treasure in China's Terracotta Army May Confirm an Incredible Legend]( [A Stash of Buried Treasure in China's Terracotta Army May Confirm an Incredible Legend]( Fifty years ago, a routine well-digging operation on the outskirts of Xi’an, China, led to the unexpected discovery of a single clay soldier. When government authorities continued to excavate the well, they found the soldier was just one in a massive terracotta army standing guard over a vast necropolis. It turns out they had discovered the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, a funerary site over 2,000 years old. Half a century later, the legendary mausoleum continues to reveal its secrets, with the latest excavation uncovering a mysterious treasure that may confirm an ancient Chinese legend: A 16-ton casket filled with treasures—including armor, weapons, 6,000 bronze coins, jade, and gold and silver camels—was just unearthed from a tomb within the vast funerary complex, according to The Daily Express. This type of untouched tomb is rare; neither the coffin, nor its treasures, appear to have been plundered by grave robbers across the past two millennia. “Most ancient tombs have been robbed so we didn’t have much hope for the coffin chamber,” excavation leader Jiang Wenxiao told the Express. “But it turned out it hadn’t been robbed. We were amazed.” The tomb, however, was “considerably decayed,” Wenxiao said, and the fear of further degradation finally led archaeologists to excavate and examine it more than a decade after its initial discovery in 2011. Fifty years ago, a routine well-digging operation on the outskirts of Xi’an, China, led to the unexpected discovery of a single clay soldier. When government authorities continued to excavate the well, they found the soldier was just one in a massive terracotta army standing guard over a vast necropolis. It turns out they had discovered the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, a funerary site over 2,000 years old. Half a century later, the legendary mausoleum continues to reveal its secrets, with the latest excavation uncovering a mysterious treasure that may confirm an ancient Chinese legend: A 16-ton casket filled with treasures—including armor, weapons, 6,000 bronze coins, jade, and gold and silver camels—was just unearthed from a tomb within the vast funerary complex, according to The Daily Express. This type of untouched tomb is rare; neither the coffin, nor its treasures, appear to have been plundered by grave robbers across the past two millennia. “Most ancient tombs have been robbed so we didn’t have much hope for the coffin chamber,” excavation leader Jiang Wenxiao told the Express. “But it turned out it hadn’t been robbed. We were amazed.” The tomb, however, was “considerably decayed,” Wenxiao said, and the fear of further degradation finally led archaeologists to excavate and examine it more than a decade after its initial discovery in 2011. [Read More]( [Read More]( [Human Consciousness Is an Illusion, Scientists Say]( [Human Consciousness Is an Illusion, Scientists Say]( The entire universe may have an internal mind—or the whole idea of consciousness could be a sham. Here’s why scientists still can’t agree. 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