Big news about the famous Chinese terracotta soldiers. Archaeologists now believe that the figures may have been inspired by Greek art and a Greek sculptor may have helped design them. This changes the whole story! It would mean that the Chinese had interaction with the "west" far earlier than first believed. Historians had believed that the first interaction was around the time of Marco Polo, but this discovery would put it 1500 years earlier (300 B.C.).
There are two reasons that support the archaeologist's theory. First, there is no evidence of life-sized statues in Chinese art before these figures. However, the Greeks are well-known for their life-size statues. Second, researchers have found European DNA from skeletons found nearby.
This discovery rewrites history!
The first emperor Qin Shi Huang had these statues built to protect him in the afterlife. I have personally seen the terracotta soldiers and they are amazing. I had no idea that the Greeks had been involved in the creation of these statues.
http://www.newser.com/story/232450/chinas-ancient-terracotta-army-may-rewrite-history.html?utm_source=share&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=def
This is amazing! I can't believe that this means that there's a possibility that the Chinese may have interacted with the West. Not only that but just the fact that this could completely change a major part of Ancient Chinese history.
ReplyDeleteI'm so curious to find out more about how this has changed Chinese history, and to find out just how much the West influenced ancient China.
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