Editing Terracotta Army (section)

== Necropolis ==
[[Image:Terracotta Army-China2.jpg|thumb|left|View of the Terracotta Army]]
[[File:2015-09-22-081415 - Terrakotta-Armee, Grosse Halle.jpg|thumb|left|Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, Hall 1]]

The Terracotta Army is part of a much larger necropolis. Ground-penetrating radar and core sampling have measured the area to be approximately 98 square kilometers (38 square miles).<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/10/china-first-emperor-terra-cotta-warriors-tomb/?sf38672445=1 |title=Discoveries May Rewrite History of China's Terra-Cotta Warriors |date=12 October 2016 |access-date=12 October 2016 |archive-date=19 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190319125512/https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/10/china-first-emperor-terra-cotta-warriors-tomb/?sf38672445=1 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The necropolis was constructed as a microcosm of the emperor's imperial palace or compound,{{Citation needed|date=April 2021}} and covers a large area around the tomb mound of the first emperor. The earthen tomb mound is located at the foot of Mount Li and built in a [[Chinese pyramids|pyramidal]] shape,<ref>{{cite web |author=73号 Qin Ling Bei Lu |url=http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=34.38130,+109.25365&aq=&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=14.588871,37.265625&ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=34.381864,109.254398&spn=0.004967,0.009098&z=16 |title=Google maps |date=1 January 1970 |access-date=3 December 2011 |archive-date=29 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140529153833/https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q |url-status=live }}</ref> and is surrounded by two solidly built [[rammed earth]] walls with gateway entrances. The necropolis consists of several offices, halls, stables, other structures as well as an imperial park placed around the tomb mound.{{Citation needed|date=April 2021}}

The warriors stand guard to the east of the tomb. Up to {{cvt|5|m}} of reddish, sandy soil had accumulated over the site in the two millennia following its construction, but archaeologists found evidence of earlier [[Disturbance (archaeology)|disturbances]] at the site. During the excavations near the Mount Li burial mound, archaeologists found several graves dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, where diggers had apparently struck terracotta fragments. These were discarded as worthless and used along with soil to backfill the excavations.{{sfn|Clements|2007|p=160}}

=== Tomb ===
{{main|Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor}}

The tomb appears to be a hermetically sealed space approximately {{convert|100|×|75|m}}.<ref name="channel4">{{cite web |url=http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/H/history/e-h/firstemperor4a.html |title=The First Emperor |publisher=Channel4.com |access-date=3 December 2011 |archive-date=30 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100930090555/http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/H/history/e-h/firstemperor4a.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=ftp://124.42.15.59/ck/2011-01/165/096/062/464/On%2520the%2520Prediction%2520of%2520Heat%2520Transfer%2520Across%2520Turbulent%2520Liquid%2520Films.pdf+3d+reconstruction+of+underground+palace+of+qin+tomb&hl=en&gl=uk&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESg0Uyt9EYlzOcxA4XPYGfq7TW0LnYcEIcuIYTgZmhVOmZ8iZAf5H9R-1IJN0SrEck4vRM60ZDAv0XbQ4dbqoASdO7bbLhZzYEGTKa607_9Sh6bCIFkEX_pirIG1BthOknVjKOe0&sig=AHIEtbQA1PhVFoMbOjCMjxcO_CUt_rYkDg |title=Application of geographical methods to explore the underground palace of the Emperor Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum |access-date=3 December 2011}}{{Dead link |date=October 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The tomb remains unopened, possibly due to concerns over preservation of its artifacts.<ref name="channel4"/> For example, after the excavation of the Terracotta Army, the painted surface present on some terracotta figures began to flake and fade.<ref>{{Cite journal |author=Nature |url=http://www.nature.com/news/2003/031127/full/news031124-7.html |title=Terracotta Army saved from crack up |journal=News@nature |access-date=3 December 2011 |doi=10.1038/news031124-7 |year=2003 |doi-access=free |archive-date=13 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170713095826/http://www.nature.com/news/2003/031127/full/news031124-7.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The lacquer covering the paint can curl in fifteen seconds once exposed to Xi'an's dry air and can flake off in just four minutes.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Larmer |first=Brook |title=Terra-Cotta Warriors in Color |magazine=National Geographic |date=June 2012 |page=86}} Print.</ref>