Who really made China's Terracotta Army? Fingerprints reveal new clues
The Terracotta Army near Xi'an, China, is a breathtaking sight: thousands of life-size terracotta figures created in the third century B.C. to guard the tomb of Emperor Qin Shihuang. They were discovered in 1974, and people have assumed they were built exclusively by men. But new research on this underground army and its chariots, horses and weapons suggests women and children lent a helping hand.
A groundbreaking study published in the Journal of Cultural Heritage has shed new light on the workforce behind China's Terracotta Army. Researchers led by Xiaoxi Li at the Mausoleum Site Museum in Xi'an discovered fingerprints on 36 of the life-size terracotta figures, providing a unique glimpse into the diverse hands that crafted these historical artifacts.
The team analyzed 79 fingerprints from the statues, diligently photographing and measuring the distance between ridge patterns. By employing a sophisticated statistical model, they were able to distinguish between adult men, women, and children with greater accuracy than previous methods. The findings indicate that the workforce was far more varied than previously assumed.
According to the model, adult men contributed to only about 45% of the fingerprints, while adult women accounted for nearly 33% and juveniles under 15 for 22%. While this suggests the involvement of women and children in the Terracotta Army's production, the researchers caution that these results may not fully represent the entire site. The study's sample size is limited to a single excavation pit (Unit T23) within Pit 1, and multiple prints could belong to a single individual, potentially skewing the demographic data.
Despite these caveats, the study's findings challenge long-held assumptions about the labor force at this historic site. The research suggests that the Terracotta Army's creation was not solely the work of adult males, but rather a collaborative effort involving both women and children. This revelation not only adds a new dimension to our understanding of ancient Chinese history but also highlights the importance of data-driven analysis in uncovering hidden layers of our collective past.
Written by urgent.news from Phys.org's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
