In 1974, farmers in China’s Shaanxi province stumbled upon one of the most important archaeological finds of all time: they found fragments of a human figure made of clay. Archaeological excavations have shown that the site sits above a series of pits filled with thousands of life-size models of terracotta soldiers and war horses, not to mention acrobats, dignitaries and various animals.
Scholars believe that the mission of this terracotta army was to protect the nearby shrine of Qin Shi Huangdi, who ruled from 221 to 210 BC. to. According to IFLScience, while most of the necropolis around the mausoleum has already been discovered, the emperor’s tomb was never opened despite the numerous intrigues surrounding it.
Focus.Technologies own telegraph channel. Subscribe to not miss the latest and most interesting news from the world of science!
The main reason for this hesitation is that archaeologists are concerned about how excavations could damage the tomb and lose important historical information. Access to the tomb is possible only with the help of invasive archaeological methods, which have a high risk of irreparable damage.
One of the most striking examples of this is Heinrich Schliemann’s excavations in the city of Troy in the 1870s. In his haste and naivete, he destroyed almost all traces of the very city he intended to find.
Scientists came up with the idea of using some non-invasive methods to look inside the tomb. One idea is to use muons, which are subatomic products of cosmic rays colliding with atoms in Earth’s atmosphere that can penetrate structures like modern X-rays. However, such methods are still far from being implemented.
Opening the tomb could also pose mortal danger to early explorers. A story written by the ancient Chinese historian Sima Qian nearly 100 years after Qin Shi Huangdi’s death explains that the tomb was equipped with traps designed to kill any intruders.
“Palaces and picturesque towers were built for a hundred officers, and the tomb was filled with rare artifacts and wonderful treasures. The craftsmen were ordered to make crossbows and arrows designed to kill anyone who entered the tomb. The mercury was used to imitate a hundred rivers, a mechanical flow as well as a great sea. adjusted,” says the historian’s notes.
Even if a 2,000-year-old weapon fails, the flow of liquid mercury poses a serious danger not only to researchers but also to the environment. It may seem like an empty threat, but scientific studies have looked at mercury concentrations around the tomb and have found much higher than expected levels on a typical piece of land.
“Mercury may be seeping through cracks in the structure over time, and our study confirms ancient historical records of a tomb that was believed to have never been opened or looted,” the authors of a 2020 paper write.
Qin Shi Huang-di’s tomb is sealed and undiscovered, but not forgotten. But when the time comes, it’s quite possible that scientific progress will finally reveal the secrets that have been unshakable here for nearly 2200 years.
Previously Focus He wrote about ancient Chinese tombs found near the city of Paishanxiang.
Source: Focus
Ashley Fitzgerald is an accomplished journalist in the field of technology. She currently works as a writer at 24 news breaker. With a deep understanding of the latest technology developments, Ashley’s writing provides readers with insightful analysis and unique perspectives on the industry.