heading over to houston on monday to see the famous terracotta army, an enormous group of warrior and horse figures, dating from 210 bce. a form of funerary art buried with emperor qin shi huang, china’s first emperor, their purpose was to help him rule another empire in the afterlife. the group of clay statues was discovered in 1974 in the eastern suburbs of xi'an, shaanxi province by local farmers drilling a water well. the figures vary in height from 6’ to 6’5” according to their role, the tallest being the generals. the figures include warriors, chariots, horses, officials, acrobats, strongmen and musicians. current estimates are that in the three pits containing the terracotta army there were more 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which are still buried in the pits. the exhibit will be at the houston museum of natural science through october 18.
