Terracotta Army of Weishan

Terracotta Army of Weishan

Weishan is located in the western part of Zhangqiu District, at the junction of the plain and mountainous areas, with an elevation of about 205 meters. To its south, some hills on the northern side of the Taiyi Mountain Range can be seen in the distance, and it is surrounded by piedmont plains. As a result, the not-so-high Weishan becomes a “mountain” standing out in the surrounding flatlands.

In 2001, the Shengjing Subdistrict Office planned to invest 130 million yuan to restore and develop the Weishan Scenic Area. That year, 40 million yuan was invested to build Shengjing Square and restore parts of Taoist temples and shrines. In 2002, during afforestation work within the scenic area, a Han Dynasty burial pit was discovered. Due to heightened awareness of cultural relic protection, the news of the terracotta figures found at Weishan quickly reached the relevant cultural (relics) authorities through proper channels. The Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and the Jinan Municipal Bureau of Culture attached great importance to this discovery and formed a joint archaeological team consisting of the Shandong Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, the Jinan Municipal Institute of Archaeology, and the Zhangqiu City Museum. From November 29 to December 30, the archaeological team conducted emergency excavations of the Han Dynasty burial pit containing terracotta figures at Weishan.

During this excavation, three Han Dynasty burial pits were discovered. Among them, Pit No. 1 is a chariot-and-horse terracotta pit, Pit No. 2 is a pit related to the daily life of the tomb owner, and Pit No. 3 contained scattered skeletal remains in stone and wooden coffins, as well as pottery items such as pots and basins. Additionally, thirty to forty arrowheads and some stone balls of unknown purpose were found.

Pit No. 1 is oriented from north to south, measuring approximately 9.7 meters in length, 1.9 meters in width, and 0.7–0.9 meters in depth. The chariots, horses, and terracotta figures inside the pit are arranged from south to north. Overall, they appear to represent the formation of a noble procession from the Han Dynasty, including soldiers, chariots, and horses. The pit contains four to five hundred artifacts. Due to the collapse of the covering planks, the chariots, horses, and figures inside were severely damaged. Artifacts found in the pit include over 170 terracotta figures, more than 50 terracotta horses, 4 terracotta chariots, and nearly 100 shields. Other discoveries include musical instruments and ritual-related terracotta items such as a standing drum, a small drum, jade discs, chime stones, and beads. All the terracotta items found were painted in vivid colors, appearing lifelike.

Pit No. 2 is located to the west of Pit No. 1. It measures 3.3 meters in length from north to south and 26 meters in width from east to west. At the bottom of the pit, one chariot, two horses, and seven terracotta figures were found, five of which are female figures. Traces of decayed wooden boxes were also discovered at the bottom of the pit.

Since its discovery, the age, nature, status, and function of the burial pits at Weishan have attracted continuous attention, leading to numerous differing and even contradictory theories and speculations.

The burial pits discovered at Weishan are the largest of their kind ever found in Shandong Province and represent a significant archaeological find from the Han Dynasty. Experts have announced that, among all the terracotta armies unearthed nationwide, this group ranks third in terms of scale, structure, and significance, following only the Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang and the Yangjiawa Terracotta Army in Xianyang, Shaanxi.