Archaeologists working on the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang have announced the discovery of an additional 220 soldiers in the world-famous Terracotta Army after almost a decade of painstaking excavation.

The team has been excavating the tomb since 2009, covering an area of ​​about 500,000 square meters. The site is riddled with a vast array of artifacts including pottery, bronze, jade, a small amount of gold, silver, and iron and the aforementioned Terracotta Warriors.

Amid the well-preserved artifacts, including military tripods, crossbows, golden sabers and everyday items such as spoons, plates, tinctures and kettles, the researchers also discovered the earliest-known golden camel excavated in China.

Further study of this artifact in particular may provide important information about trade between the West and the Chinese Empire predating the Silk Road.

More than 220 new terracotta warriors with five different official titles, including senior military ranks, were unearthed during the third excavation of Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor. 12 terracotta horses and a variety of weapons were also found. #archeologypic.twitter.com/IGVfpuGnEI — Global Times (@globaltimesnews) December 30, 2019

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All told, the past decade has yielded the discovery of some 220 pottery figurines and 12 pottery horses, as well as a large number of weapons and architectural relics belonging to previously unseen military officers nestled among the ranks.

The discovery of new officer ranks may force a rethink of our current understanding of the army’s formation.

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