The Terracotta Army is evidence of the organisational power of the Qin Dynasty that unified China in 221 BC. This text unfolds the historical and archaeological context of the Terracotta Warriors, and explores the research and excavation that has been carried out in the years since the first discovery in 1974.
Jane Portal is an Assistant Keeper in the Department of Asia in the British Museum, where she is responsible for the Chinese collections. Her publications include Gilded Dragons, Chinese Love Poetry, and the award-winning British Museum Book of Chinese Art.