The UpshotMore Terracotta Army warriors unearthed in China
A phalanx of terracotta warriors, buried for centuries in China, has been unearthed. The 110 clay soldiers were part of the army built to guard the tomb of the country's first emperor, Qin Shihuang.
They join the 8,000 soldiers from 200 B.C. that make up the Terracotta Army first discovered in 1974 at the mausoleum in Xi'an, China. What sets aside this latest find is the mint condition of the 2,200-year-old sculptures.
"The most significant discovery this time around is that the relics that were found were well-preserved and colorfully painted," Shen Maosheng, from the Qin Shihuang Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum, told the AFP.
The discovery also includes 12 pottery horses, parts of chariots, weapons, and tools. Maosheng noted that 11 more warriors have been located but not yet excavated.
The amazing wealth of figures, discovered by a peasant digging for a well in 1974, led the Terracotta Army to become a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987, and is considered one of the greatest archeological finds.
This comes after another big discovery in China: Turns out the Great Wall is even greater: An archeological survey shows that it is more than double in length—it's 13,170 miles long—than an official 2009 figure of 5,499 miles.
