Qings have previously only ever been read about in history books

Is the first complete crossbow ever found from the Qin dynasty

A 2,200-year-old crossbow which some experts believe could have been almost twice as powerful as a modern-day assault rifle has been discovered among the Terracotta Warriors.

The crossbow, which was found intact this week, could have shot an arrow up to 2,600 feet - about the length of nine football pitches, the People's Daily Online reported.

The discovery is particularly exciting as experts believe the crossbow may hold the secret to the success of China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang.

Discovery: This is the first ever crossbow to have survived intact found from the Qin Dynasty

Uncovered: The bow is still half-buried next to one of China's famous terracotta warriors

The crossbow, which was found half-buried next to one of the terracotta statues, was discovered by archaeologists working at the site.

It is the first time archaeologists have seen a complete version of the weapon, although they previously found 10 more broken crossbows in the same pit.

The bow measures almost five feet in length, with a height of about 50 inches.

Its size suggests that it was one of the most powerful bows of its era. Historical texts indicate that its firing range could have been up to 2,600 feet, according to Huashang Newspaper, which is double the range of an assault rifle, which is about 1,300 feet.

Some historians believe that analysis of a number of historical texts shows that the crossbow was integral to several important military victories of the period.

Archaeological importance: Many weapons have been found in the pits, like these ones from 2006

New: A 'Qing', an item which they had only read about in history books, was also discovered in the pit

Archaeologists are equally excited about the discovery of a 'Qing', an item which they had previously only read about in historical texts.

The Qing helps explain how the crossbow was transported and stored, helping it to maintain its shape when not in use.

'We believe that not only in the Qin dynasty but perhaps during the entire Warring States Period they had a very complete system of weapons production, storage and transportation,' Shen Maosheng, the archaeologists' team leade,r told Central China Television.

'This discovery of the most complete Qin Dynasty crossbow, especially the Qing, provides us with new historical evidence for the follow-up study of the Terracotta, especially the study of the Qin dynasty military force.'