# terracotta warriors at the ROM



## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

today i went to the Royal Ontario Museum here in toronto to see the terracotta warriors. they (of course) didn't have all of them there, but they did have 4 of the full sized warriors, plus a bunch of the smaller ones, as well as weapons, tools, stuff they ate on, cooked with, and things from every day life. it was really cool. at the original site there was 8,000 warriors, plus over 100 chariots and about 700 horses for the chariots, the cavalry and carriages. then, on top of all that, there is a huge garden with full sized swans, cranes, foxes, dogs and turtles and other stuff you might find in a garden. all of it created to accompany the Qin emperor into the afterlife. i heard some people remark that he must have been a very self-important person to go to such lengths for his burial tomb. me, i have a different perspective. i think about all the artisans that made the figures from clay, bronze and wood. the laborers who made the clay, gathered the raw materials, ran the kilns, the smelters and made the castings and carvings. do you know that each warrior has a different face? that they ALL show tiny details that mark their status in life and in the army such as their hair, their armor and shoes? their are also members of the court, judges, acrobats and entertainers, musicians, courtesans. well over 10,000 figures i guesstimate. how many men spent their entire careers working on a project that would blow people's minds over 2,000 years in the future? did they discuss it over dinner with their wives at the end of the day? did they tell their grandchildren about it? how many man-hours were involved? then i think of our current disposable culture. in 2 millennium, no one will marvel at the awesome thing we created. chances are, nothing noteworthy we have done will survive. i'm glad the Qin emperor assembled an army of skilled workers to make such a monumental art display. the world is a different place because of it. if any of you can get there, do yourself a favor, and go see it.


----------



## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

yes they are cool!
seen them many times on tv and in books, but never up close.
i figure that stuff represents the lifes work for many people.
although its all done to accommodate the emperor in the afterlife, 
you gotta think that the people crafting this stuff knew that
their work would be seen by people in the future.
how busy is the ROM these days?
i havent been in years and would love to go, but i despise crowds and lineups.


----------



## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

i went today, (sat) and arrived about 11:45. i bought my ticket and waltzed right in. most people were concentrated at the main exhibit, but overall, it was not nearly as crowded as some other stuff i have seen there. i even got me an 8" high terracotta warrior for my house.


----------



## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

I have friends that saw the actual site in China a coule years ago. Just mind boggling. 

Speaking of disposable culture, doesn't the story go that all the hundreds (thousands?) of workers who built it were killed so that it would remain a secret? I seem to remember something like that.


----------



## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

i don't think that is the case, according to what i have read of their construction. it would make an interesting story though


----------



## Starbuck (Jun 15, 2007)

I went yesterday to the ROM for the first time in years. I would have liked to see the warriors, but they wanted more money ontop of admission. I didn't pay. It cost $65 for the 3 of us as it was! Loved the Dinosaurs and the bat cave, but was really dissapointed of the Michale Lee Chin Wing. Looked really shoddy and dirty on the inside.

oh Yeah, Fraser it was not busy at all.


----------



## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

cheezyridr said:


> i don't think that is the case, according to what i have read of their construction. it would make an interesting story though


Found this on one website:


_Qin's terracotta army consists of life-size figures of warriors, depicted in battle dress according to rank an unit, and numerous figures of horses and chariots, and this is only part of what is believed to be his grand tomb. The terracota army lies approximately a mile east of Qin's main tomb which is said to contain spectacular objects. To date only trial digs of the main tomb site have been completed and they have yet to find the main entrance to the tomb. 

Emperor Qin ordered the construction of his tomb when he was only 13 years old, an order that involved hundreds of thousands of workers and thirty-six years to complete. *It is also believed that Qin ordered that the tomb workers and supervisors involved in its design be buried alive to protect its secrets. *_


----------



## david henman (Feb 3, 2006)

...i want to see this, as well.

isn't there a day when admisson is free/cheap at the ROM?


----------



## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

Its free if you're a member. I got our tickets today.


----------



## Starbuck (Jun 15, 2007)

david henman said:


> ...i want to see this, as well.
> 
> isn't there a day when admisson is free/cheap at the ROM?


I'm not disptuing the price of admission, that's fine, just didn't want to pay extra. I do believe they have BOGO if you check the webiste online. We just can't do weekdays.


----------



## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

Sneaky said:


> Found this on one website:
> 
> 
> _Qin's terracotta army consists of life-size figures of warriors, depicted in battle dress according to rank an unit, and numerous figures of horses and chariots, and this is only part of what is believed to be his grand tomb. The terracota army lies approximately a mile east of Qin's main tomb which is said to contain spectacular objects. To date only trial digs of the main tomb site have been completed and they have yet to find the main entrance to the tomb.
> ...



the reason i suspected that not to be the case is because the way it was explained at the ROM is similar to what wiki says: Terracotta Army - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



> The terracotta army figures were manufactured *both* in workshops by government laborers and *also by local craftsmen*. The head, arms, legs and torsos were created separately and then assembled. Studies show that eight face molds were most likely used, and then clay was added to provide individual facial features.[5] Once assembled, intricate features such as facial expressions were added. It is believed that their legs were made in much the same way that terracotta drainage pipes were manufactured at the time. This would make it an assembly line production, with specific parts manufactured and assembled after being fired, as opposed to crafting one solid piece of terracotta and subsequently firing it. In those days, each workshop was required to inscribe its name on items produced to ensure quality control. This has aided modern historians in verifying that workshops that once made tiles and other mundane items were commandeered to work on the terracotta army. Upon completion, the terracotta figures were placed in the pits in precise military formation according to rank and duty.


with private citizens involved in the constuction of pieces, it would have been completely impossible to keep it a secret. also, considering the physical size of it, how could people not know if it's existence? it wasn't subteranian back in the 2nd century. also with such a monumental task, that would have meant executing thousands of men. that definitely would have attracted attention, and there would be mention of it somewhere in chinese history i would think. 
OTOH, i don't know everything (although i did when i was a teenager) my theories/conjecture could be totally wrong.


----------

