I will be writing a chapter in the class textbook about the terracotta warriors. More specifically, I will be focusing on the artists and workers who built the large number of warriors, horses, and weapons for the emperor’s tomb. My argument is that the hardship and intense labor endured by the workers who built the terracotta army is overlooked by the great beauty of the warriors. The upended lives of thousands of workers to build a tomb for a single person calls into question the morality of the project and highlights the significant differences in power and freedom in ancient China’s social classes.
I am going to explain the purpose of the terracotta army, which was to protect the emperor against the many enemies he made during his time on Earth in the afterlife. I will also briefly explain the process used to make and paint the warriors and other objects in the tomb.
I hope readers of this chapter learn that while the idea for this army may have been the first emperor’s, the carrying out of this project rested in the hands of not only expert artisans, but also low class workers. While the emperor may viewed himself as above everyone else, without the help of average citizens he never would have had a massive army to protect himself in the afterlife. It is not only the first emperor, but the roughly 720,000 people who built this army, that should be credited for this impressive feat.
