Prompt Cast
The Terracotta Army: China's First Emperor's Massive Mausoleum
TLDR Qin Shui Huan Di, the first emperor of China, built a massive mausoleum with a terracotta army for protection in the afterlife. Despite his tyrannical rule and brutal tactics, he either sought immortality or hedged his bets by constructing this grand funerary complex.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
On March 29, 1974, seven farmers set out to dig a well.
04:13
In 1974, farmers in a Chinese village discovered terracotta figures while digging for water, which turned out to be part of a massive mausoleum built by China's first emperor, Qin Shui Huan Di.
08:32
The first emperor of China, Qin Shui Huan Di, built a massive mausoleum with a terracotta army for protection in the afterlife, despite being a tyrant responsible for the deaths of over 1 million citizens and engaging in brutal and controlling tactics during his reign.
13:15
The first emperor of China, Qin Shui Huan Di, killed hundreds of scientists and doctors in his quest for immortality, and he buried the terracotta army facing east to protect him in the afterlife.
17:31
The first emperor of China, Qin Shui Huan Di, either came to grips with his own mortality or was hedging his bets by constructing a grand funerary complex, including the Terracotta Army, to protect him in the afterlife.
21:51
The bodies of the Terracotta Army were made by hand using a coiling method, taking a month to make each body, because Emperor Qin Shui Huan Di wanted them to be different and not carbon copies of each other.
26:16
The Han dynasty also had terracotta armies buried with them, but they were much smaller in size compared to Qin Shui Huang Di's terracotta army.
30:51
The tomb of Qin Shui Huang Di was booby-trapped with blow darts and crossbows to prevent looters, and there is evidence of a river of mercury surrounding the tomb, making it dangerous to excavate.
35:25
The episode ends with listener mail about animal imprinting and a teacher who uses the podcast in her classroom, followed by some ads.
Categories:
Society & Culture
