Inscriptions and Technology: Knowledge of the Artisans Who Created China’s Terracotta Army

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Craft and Technology: Knowledge of the Ancient Chinese Artisans" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This study offers a new perspective and combines multidisciplinary methods, with the aim of revealing knowledge and behaviour of the artisans in ancient China. It considers the inscriptions incised, painted, or stamped on the terracotta warriors and their accompanying weapons, and interprets the information they reveal about the artisans and artists who worked for the Qin Empire. In addition, the study investigates technological features associated with the production of both the terracotta warriors and the bronze weapons by comparing and contrasting these two very different kinds of artefacts. Close attention is given to implications about knowledge and behaviour of the artisans and artists who created such a magnificent Terracotta Army for China’s First Emperor. The study also plots wider spatial distribution of items across the pit as a whole, in order to understand the operational sequences and workshop organisation required to make the Terracotta Army. The project’s logistics during this crucial early phase of empire-building in China are also discussed.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)   •
• Craft and Technology: Knowledge of the Ancient Chinese Artisans

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 23531