The First Emperor Of China

The First Emperor of China, Cheng, who lived around 221 B.C feared for what would happen to him even after his death. And what he did to protect himself in the event of his death is truly fascinating. Cheng ordered the building of a special tomb for himself. This tomb consisted of a model army of more than 7,500 life-size foot soldiers, bowmen, officers, chariots, horses and charioteers to guard his body and treasures. Rows and rows of horses and warriors stood guard in underground pits in the tomb. Every face of the foot soldiers was made to look different. What's more, crossbows were set to fire automatically if the tomb were to be robbed. The tomb had model palaces and channels of mercury that were controlled by wheels so that the mercury flowed like water in a river. The tomb was discovered by Chinese workers in 1974.