Emperor Qin's tomb (1st emperor of china)

[junior]

Everyone here should know of the terracotta warriors, well they were put into a chamber for Emp Qin's tomb to ward off baddies in the after life that he made in his life. his tomb was discovered by farmers, but since then no one has actually seen the inside of Qins tomb. this is because archaeologists are scared that some artifacts will dissolve in the air as it has been sealed airtight and hasnt been exposed to anyother atmosphere for thousands of years. archaeologists believe that within his tomb are all his treasures as well as people who got locked in. all kinds of fancy things are rumored to be within, as well as (apparently) hair triggered crossbows. i was just curious as to what you guys think is inside...
Jnr

[IndyBuff]

It has also been said that a river of mercury is down there too. I would love to be the person to first open it up and see what's inside. I think that would be exciting and hopefully someday we'll get the chance to discover what is buried in there.

In the meantime, you can always play Emperor's Tomb and discover it for yourself.:)

[indifan101]

There are still terracotta soldiers still down there but I hardly believe you would find anything treasure wise.

[China Jim]

The tomb of the first emperor of Chin has never been as one of you chaps so nicely put it tapped into. According to Chin and Han dynasty records the tomb was huge inside scattered with traps crossbows and things of that sort The Chinese government do not as of this time have the capabilities to dig into the mound and open the entrance. Preliminary scans have found a large amount of mercury vapor inside the complex it self. To find out more the Asian Historian recommends you check out CCTV4, The history channel, as well as national geographic .com :whip: :gun:

[barranca]

http://images.china.cn/images1/200710/410656.jpg

Apparently, the Tomb contained a Detailed 'Map of the world', with rivers, lakes and seas depicted with 'running' mercury (hence the vapour). I remember the descriptions of the tomb being very elaborate and fantastical. It could be inconcievably beautiful and if found, the greatest Archeological discovery of the century.

Ironically, He was given mercury pills by his doctor, I believe, to extend his life or make him 'Immortal'. Which of course ultimately killed him.

[The Tingler]

Yeah, this isn't the Valley of the Kings we're talking about, the Emperor's Tomb has never been opened, not by graverobbers, not by anybody. Unlike the game there is not a big pushable seal in the side of the hill, it is a hill. And until this century the location was a secret.

The reason it won't be opened is Oxygen Damage more than cultural respect. When the Terracotta Warriors were unearthed they were all painted, with skin tones and colours. In less than a week all the colour was destroyed and they became their current grey selves. They won't open the Tomb until they can make sure the treasures inside won't be damaged. Why they don't set up some sort of vacuum-seal is beyond me...

I took a lot of these into account in my historical re-review of the game (http://www.mixnmojo.com/features/read.php?article=tombreview). I particularly like the poster! (http://www.mixnmojo.com/galleries/gallery.php?gallery=319&image=4186&goback=http://www.mixnmojo.com/features/read.php?article=tombreview)

[IrishLuck1980]

Actually, I have read recently that the Chinese have been able to salvage the paint on still buried Terra Cotta Warriors. But the problem now is the complex that houses all this. It's falling apart. Not to mention the fungus that develops on the warriors as soon as they are unearthed. But I have also read that they may have solved the fungus problem and plans are in motion to create a huge new complex that will cover the entire area and have it completely climate control. That will be the only time the Chinese Government will open the tomb. I just hope it happens in my lifetime.

[tupogirl]

Let me see if I can find it online, but there was a show on History or Discovery about a year ago about it. (I *love* these guys, even before I knew there was an Indy connection!!!) I am having trouble describing what they did...

Modern tests on the tomb mound have revealed unusually high concentrations of mercury, lending credence to at least some of the historical account.

Chinese archaeologists are also using remote-sensing technology to probe the tomb mound. The technique recently revealed an underground chamber with four stairlike walls. An archaeologist working on the site told the Chinese press that the chamber may have been built for the soul of the emperor.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/ancient/first-emperor.html

Absolutely fascinating.

[IrishLuck1980]

The show was called "First Emperor - The Man Who Made China" I actually have it. Fantastic show.

[tupogirl]

The show was called "First Emperor - The Man Who Made China" I actually have it. Fantastic show.

Hey thanks! I might see if I can find it on Netflix. I love those kinds of shows in general.

I thought it was so amazing that the testing they did did show mass amounts of mercury. And yes, if they are going to open it, I hope it's in my lifetime!!

[Perhilion]

what I wouldn't give to be the one to open it

[theneogon]

We should be thankful the Chinese goverment isn't quite as bold as Indy

[indy34]

I was talking to my ancient history teacher about this just yesterday and I'm very interested in Chinese archeology:D
But going to my point I decided to look up on the net to see any new info on the tomb it's a little hard to find because almost all of its on the terracotter warriors but I found this I'm not sure how true it is because I'm not sure about about.com reliability

Investigations reported in Minerva (vol 16, iss 2) in 2005 indicate that archaeologists led by Filippo Salviati opening another section of Qin's tomb have found a life-size model of a wetland, complete with 40 bronze sculptured aquatic birds, cranes, swans, and geese. A new technique has been developed that reveals the vivid colors of the terracottas. Most recently, pollen studies conducted on a warrior and a horse sculpture revealed that they were built in different kilns: the horse was constructed near the tomb while the warrior was built farther away.

http://archaeology.about.com/od/sterms/g/shihuangdi.htm

But I really hope they do open it in my life time it truly will be one of the greatest discoveries in all archaeological history;)

[China Jim]

FYI Recently heard on the radio that a display of artifact concerning the First Emperor of China including Terracotta warriors are on display I believe at a museum in Atlanta Georgia any fellow raiders in the area check it out and post what they think of it? :up:

[kongisking]

I'm terrified that this thread will eventually lead to more vicious abusing of The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. :eek: :eek: :eek:

Anyway, I find it awesome that this tomb actually has real-life booby traps. Sweet! Actual evidence that the Indy movies aren't totally ludicrous. It could happen!

[indy34]

I'm terrified that this thread will eventually lead to more vicious abusing of The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. :eek: :eek: :eek:

Anyway, I find it awesome that this tomb actually has real-life booby traps. Sweet! Actual evidence that the Indy movies aren't totally ludicrous. It could happen!
I was actually very surprised how much truth they had in the movie:hat: but there was still alot of crap:p

[China Jim]

I as of this time have not seen The Tomb of the Dragon Emperor but just from info I have read on it the states that The Dragon Emperor is a Han dynasty ruler which was the dynasty that followed the Chin and by that time Shi Huang Di had been with his ancestors for a while. But then again attempting to find real archeology in one of the Mummy movies would be like attempting to verify that some info in the Indi stories are historically accurate. Remember folks it is entertainment not historical entertainment. To be honest the last movie I watched that was historically accurate at least in the person place or thing form was 300 concerning the Spartans at Hellespont but Indi movies and the Mummy series not so much.:up:
History is the search for facts, not truths. If you want truths Dr Tyrells philosophies class is down the hall.
China Jim

[Morning Bell]

I've always had a fascination with this tomb and being the first inside has always been a dream of mine. It's hard to know exactly what's inside and how much is still intact (including the booby traps and maps) but it would be one incredible adventure to look inside. Hopefully someday they'll find a way to get inside without doing any damage to the artifacts.

[Indy's brother]

The Tomb of Qin Shi Huang

Correct me if I'm wrong, (and I'm sure you will) but isn't this "The Emperor's Tomb" that served as a plot device for the Indy game I played on the PS2 years ago? Anyhoo, I came across this the other day in an article at cracked.com (http://www.cracked.com/article_19724_5-historic-artifacts-you-wont-believe-still-work.html). It's a fascinating read, along with links to support their claims.

The mausoleum of the ancient Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_Shi_Huang) was discovered in the 1970s. You might have heard about the fantastic, world famous army of terra cotta soldiers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terracotta_Army) found guarding it. A less known fact is that to this day, the site remains largely unexplored. This is largely because of pressing moral questions about preserving the past and a ****load of cunning booby traps that might still totally work.

Ancient writings about intricate traps and contraptions such as pressure-sensitive crossbows and murderous mini-oceans full of mercury were dismissed as fairy tales ... that is, until scientists ran probes into the tomb, just on the off chance that there was something to the legends of mercury rivers guarding the long-dead emperor. What did they find? A fire-breathing dragon! Just kidding. A lot of mercury is what they found -- at levels 100 times the natural rate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_Shi_Huang#Qin_Shi_Huang.27s_tomb). The scientists couldn't help but think there might be something to the ancient warnings.

But what about the automatic crossbow contraptions? Those would be long rusted by now, right? Nope -- other weapons excavated in the tomb were coated with something called chromate, which made them rust-resistant. So it only makes sense that the hair-trigger crossbows were also coated with the stuff, since they were the ones guarding the emperor and all. And according to science, "it is highly likely that the automatic crossbows may function well even after thousands of years (http://history.cultural-china.com/en/53H9864H13880.html)."
After this find, the excavation staff was naturally pretty reluctant to venture farther into the tomb. They were still willing to do some further research, perhaps eventually going as far as opening the tomb itself. However, the Chinese government flipped out at the idea (http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shaanxi/xian/terra_cotta_army/mausoleum_2.htm) and, presumably not wanting to become the first nation to host a reenactment of the opening scenes of Raiders of the Lost Ark, vetoed further excavations. This ban lasted until 25 years later (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/sci/2012-02/26/c_131432404.htm) ... and even today, archaeologists must remain well away from the tomb itself, probably so that a giant rolling rock doesn't crush them.

I must admit, the prospect of tomb-raiding an actual site like this is salivating to say the least. Aside from having big enough balls to physically venture into this place, I am of course without any of the training, means, linguistic abilities, and knowledge of how to shmooze shady underworld types enough to actually get near it. Which is a crying shame. If I could pick the way I go out, puling a Forrestal isn't anywhere close to the bottom of my list. Quite the contrary, in fact. A fitting end to my life's pursuits.

Anyway, the lure of danger in/and a relatively untouched site of this kind is palatable.

[Mickiana]

Good post, IB. Ever since I heard about the Emperor's tomb in China I have always been excited about the prospect of the traps being bypassed so they could get to the 'holy of holies' - Qin's burial chamber - and find a treasure trove of ancient wonders. I hope they do it in my lifetime.

[Gear]

Awesome find! Makes total sense, too, considering how prevailant grave robbing has always been, for one reason or another.

[Stoo]

My girlfriend's cousin vsited the tomb and told me that the farmers who discovered it are now BLIND from all the tourists taking flash photographs of them.:eek:

Awyway, here is a previous thread about the tomb...INCLUDING talk of the rivers of mercury and the 'booby-trap' crossbows:
Emperor Qin's tomb (1st emperor of china) (http://raven.theraider.net/showthread.php?t=9016&highlight=Terracotta)

[Howlrunner]

Yeah, I'd love to find out what's really in there. According to the ancient writings (if they're true), it should be pretty spectacular.

BTW, Indy DID raid this tomb in 1935 in the computer game "The Emperor's Tomb", but he had ALREADY raided it (and decapitated the mummified corpse of the 1st Emperor - who is perfectly preserved in the computer game) in 1934 at the beginning of the novel "Secret of the Sphinx"!

[InVader]

How come the article didn't mention all of the invisible smashing walls? :hat:

[Caidanbi]

According to what I've read, the inside of the tomb has like a miniature scale "map" of the "world" according to what they thought it was then. All the rivers and lakes supposedly are mercury - which I tend to believe, as modern scans of the land show a very very high mercury level on that site. According to legend, the ceiling is like a map of the night sky, and the stars and planets are represented by different sized pearls. There is supposed to be representations of servants, guards etc, which I am thinking are probably figures like the terra cotta warriors. Although this stuff just comes from old legends, the things they have found so far support the legends, so it might just all be true...