User: arollins
Time: 04-07-2014 15:41 Product: INITab PubDate: 04-13-2014 Zone: Special
Edition: 1 Page: ToAdvFolio-B Color: C K Y M
AN ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR
name Qin Shi Huangdi, or first emperor of Qin. Pronounced “chin,” “Qin” is the forerunner of the word “China.” Soon after taking the throne, he ordered construction of a vast and splendid subterranean tomb complex intended to be his immortal home. While his tomb remains untouched—a mystery yet to be uncovered—an ancient Chinese text offers a possible tale of its grandeur: rivers of flowing mercury, palace replicas, and the re-creation of Xianyang, the capital where the emperor lived.
Unique and Colorful
While each of the Terra Cotta Warriors has a unique face, the exhibit focuses on how each was also painted in brilliant colors derived from ground minerals. Preserving the colors is another mystery the exhibit explores. Problems arose early in the excavation process. Within minutes of exposure to air, the colors on uncovered figures flaked away. In recent years, scientists have developed techniques that allow them to preserve the delicate pigments on newly excavated figures. While few examples of what the warriors originally looked like remain among the 2,000 warriors recovered so far, the exhibit will feature the head of one figure with a significant amount of the paint still apparent (though faded), offering visitors an extremely rare opportunity to see a painted warrior outside of China.
Paint preservation wasn’t the only mystery confronting the crews working at the Xi’an dig site. Nearly all of the Terra Cotta Warriors have been found in pieces, forcing archaeologists to work like forensic detectives. They sift through the soil looking for clues and reassemble the figures like thousands of life-size puzzles. In addition to the warriors, careful excavation of the site has unearthed chariots and life-size clay horses. Archaeologists also have uncovered nearby sites containing sculptures of bronze as well as figures of civil officials, musicians, and acrobats. Like the warriors, they were all painted. Examples will be included in the exhibit.
The Exhibit
The exhibit will offer visitors a look at how scientists, archaeologists, artists, and historians have worked together to try to solve some of the mysteries surrounding the warriors. “We study these artifacts so we can imagine what they looked like when they were brand new,” says Charity Counts, associate vice president of exhibits at The Children’s Museum. Taking a multimedia approach, the exhibit examines the creation, discovery, and recovery of the warriors and other artifacts as well as the work being done on site. In addition to examining more than
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100 extraordinary artifacts, the family-friendly exhibit will invite visitors to try hands-on interactive activities including mapping paint patterns, molding and sculpting warriors, and virtually painting a warrior general.
An Exclusive Engagement
“Institutions around the world regularly ask to exhibit the Terra Cotta Warriors,” said Dr. Jeffrey Patchen, president and CEO of The Children’s Museum, “so having the chance to be the only one in the U.S. to show them this year is an extraordinary opportunity. This will be the first time they’ll be displayed in a children’s museum.”
SUNDAY, APRIL 13, 2014 •
Five Fast Facts 1. China’s first emperor built himself a tomb complex that encompasses 20 square miles. 2. Construction of the tomb began when the future emperor was only age 13. 3. It took more than 700,000 laborers to construct the Terra Cotta Army and tomb complex. 4. Experts estimate that there are more than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots, and 670 horses. 5. It took an estimated 40 years to finish the army.
Forty years after the first warrior’s discovery, researchers continue to excavate, study, and explore the site. There remains much more to learn, and research will continue many decades into the future. Undoubtedly there will be many more mysteries to solve. Terra Cotta Warriors: The Emperor’s Painted Army, directly from China’s Shaanxi Province is presented by Eli Lilly and Company Foundation.
Opens May 10 at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis
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