While most of the statues found among the terracotta warriors in the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum are world-famous soldiers or war horses, there is a terracotta statue with a very strange posture that has attracted widespread attention on Chinese social networks recently.
According to the Global Times, some findings suggest that the statue may have been made by a teenage craftsman.
On June 11, a photo of the "number 28" warrior was released by the Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang in Xi'an, Xi'an Province, northwest China. Unlike other terracotta Warrior statues found in the mausoleum - often in a sitting or standing position - the "number 28" is kneeling on the ground and leaning back to touch the ground with his back.
"After scanning and comparing the fingerprints discovered on the statue, we found that they were very similar to the fingerprints of a teenager," Zhou Ping, Deputy Director of the Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, told Xinhua News Agency after researchers found traces of three fingerprints on the belly of the "No. 28" soldier.
The statue was discovered in pit "K9901" - first discovered in 1999. Nearly 30 statues were found in the hole. To date, 25 of them, including statue No. 28, have been restored.
It is noteworthy that the statues excavated from pit K9901 are different from the war invalids and horse statues found in other pits. Chinese archaeologists speculate that the small pottery statues in this pit depict dancers serving in the royal palace during the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC).
Unlike other terracotta Warriors, these statues still retain their color.
"Based on what we found in the pit, this would be a great opportunity to restore the music and dance of the royal court during the Qin Dynasty," Zhou added.
The "No. 28" warrior was discovered in a state of severe damage. After 9 months of efforts, 84 pieces of broken pieces have been gathered together, although the statue still lacks hands and head.
The restored statue is 154cm long and weighs 101kg.
Museum staff said they used plastic glue to reinforce the broken parts between the belly and back of the statue.
In addition, restorers also found some unique imprints on the statue left by the craftsman during the production process. For example, three fingerprints can be clearly seen on the surface of the statue, providing important clues for current research.
The archaeological site of Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum still has many unexcavated statues. According to current estimates, when all excavations are completed, more than 6,000 small ceramic and horse statues will be excavated.
