Jane Portal: First Emperor: China's Terracotta Army [2007] paperback

This is a unique book to accompany an extraordinary new exhibition of one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th centuries, the Terracotta Army of the First Emperor of China. The Terracotta Army is evidence of the organisational power of the Qin Dynasty that unified China in 221 BC. It has become a symbol of China's long and coherent cultural history and, now that China is rapidly developing, it reminds the world of China's future potential. This book unfolds the historical and archaeological context of the Terracotta Warriors, and explores the new research and excavation that has been carried out in the years since the first discovery in 1974. The book is divided into five sections, all written by experts in the field. The first chapter concentrates on the Qin's rise and military conquest and unification of the Warring States. The second chapter explores the Qin Empire, its ideology and practices, and the emperor's achievements and legacy. The third chapter examines imperial tours and mountain inscriptions, and the fourth focuses on the mausoleum itself and the rituals that surrounded it.
The fifth and final chapter, the crux of the book, examines the site itself, the Terracotta Army, the various new excavations that have taken place and future plans. Large numbers of the Terracotta Army's men and horses, displayed in military formation, are illustrated with striking photography. Their manufacture is explained and demonstrated with moulds, inscriptions, broken warriors and heads of warriors. Also illustrated and discussed are fascinating new discoveries such as terracotta bureaucrats, acrobats and strong men, life-size bronze birds, hundreds of suits of stone armour and terracotta warriors with coloured faces preserved with new technology.