Terracotta Warrior Museum
秦始皇兵马俑博物馆
Bronze Chariot with Four Horses
青铜车马

In 1980 two bronze chariots were discovered about 66 feet (20 meters) east of the mausoleum. The chariots were discovered buried 26.24 feet down in a trench that runs east and west. The chariots were encased in a wooden enclosure that measured 22.309 feet long, 6.889 feet high, and 6.56 feet wide (6.8 x 2.1 x 2 meters). The two chariots were found to be half size scale models of real chariots. The chariots are thought to have been placed so that the emperor could ride from his mausoleum to go and inspect his heavenly troops.

The chariots were in good condition and complete. No grave robbers had found them in the two thousand years they remained buried waiting to serve the emperor. There were 1,720 gold and silver pieces, weighing 7 kilograms that were used to decorate the harness and halters of the horses and chariots. The chariots received the most careful preservation, the chariot designated as Number 2 went on display in 1983 and Number 1 was ready for display in 1988. Chariot No. 1 is an open chariot with a single driver. It leads the second, enclosed chariot,, in which the emperor would ride.

Above, Chariot No. 1 is 7.38 feet long, 4.13 feet high, and 2.3 feet wide (225 x 126 x 70 cm). It is covered by an umbrella and driven by a single driver. Although the driver is armed with a sword, the real protection of the carriages would come from outriders and foot soldiers that would accompany any procession. You can just make out the designs that were used to decorate the inside of the umbrella on the chariot.

The driver and horses were terracotta but the harness was made of real leather and the decorations were specially cast to be half size along with the rest of the equipage. The harness itself is old-fashioned. Modern harness depends on a breast plate to allow the horse to pull the weight across the lower shoulder. The harness shown above puts the stress on the upper shoulder and neck.