Portal, Jane (ed.); with the assistance of Hinoshita, Hiromi — The First Emperor: China's Terracotta Army

Book Very Good No Jacket 1st Edition The British Museum Press, A division of The British Museum Company Ltd, London English text; Paperback; 23 x 29 cm; 1.239 Kg; 240 pages with 250 colour illustrations.; Used with signs of wear on the exterior and interior. The exterior shows minor edge wear, scuffs and scratches on the front cover, spine and back cover. Interior as new.; The chance discovery in 1974 of the life-size terracotta army of the First Emperor of China (r.221-210 BC) astounded the world. Haunting lines of warriors were reveled - frozen for all time in clay. For two thousand years they had silently guarded the vast tomb complex of one of the greatest military leaders in history. Published to accompany a once-in-a-lifetime exhibition at the British Museum, this important book explores the tangible evidence of Qin Shihuangdi's existence, his great achivements and his vision. He rose from his position as king of the Qin in western China to conquer the six other major states and control a vast territory. Wielding enormous power, he ordered 120,000 families to move to his new capital and summoned 700,000 men from all over the empire to build his tomb. He bequeathed a legacy to China that long affected the rise and fall of dynasties, shaped the form of government and established firm, authoritarian ways of governing the land and its peoples. With contributions from leading scholars and based on the latest research and excavations, the First Emperor unfolds the historical and archaeological context of China's astonishing terracotta army - and offers a remarkable insight into the mind and ambitions of a mortal who wished to rule for all eternity.