Pictures are one thing, but standing right next to the 600 pound soldiers and their horses is a whole different experience. I was in awe looking up from beside the massive terracotta pieces in a setting where you're so close, you could reach out and touch them. But don't. Remember, this is a museum exhibit.
10 of the soldiers have moved into the city as part of the Terracotta Warriors : Defenders of China's First Emperor exhibit at Discovery Times Square. That is the most that can be together on display at any one time outside of China.
Curatorial Consultant Kirsten Romney says there are also some interesting things to be learned from the other items dating back to 221 BCE that were found in the tomb.
“We have female infantry and cavalry. No one knew there were women soldiers back then. “ she said.
Some of the artifacts show that simple things were as important as the big impressive items that were put in the tombs.
“We have a little charcoal grill that's got bugs on a skewer. That would have been a little snack item for whoever was buried in the tomb for his afterlife,” she said, “Its such a small unassuming piece that makes a large statement for what people found was important to have with them in the afterlife.”
A number of the artifacts in the exhibit are making their U.S. debut. One of the larger pieces in the exhibit is making it's world premiere. The intricately carved gates leading into a burial chamber have never been on public display before. There is also an impressive set of stone armor. It had originally been put together with pieces of leather, which rotted over the centuries, leaving a pile of pieces. Each of those 1,000 or so pieces, carefully put back together to recreate the finished piece.
The exhibit will be open through the summer at Discovery Times Square.
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