Today (January 24), the "Second Press Conference on Important Archaeological Discoveries in Shaanxi" was opened online by the Shaanxi Provincial Bureau of Cultural Relics and the Shaanxi Provincial Federation of Social Sciences, and hosted by the Shaanxi Archaeological Society, among which the Site of the East Gate of the Outer City of the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum and the Original Tomb of Hongduyuan in Xianyang were selected as the six new archaeological discoveries projects in Shaanxi in 2021.

It is reported that the Shaanxi Qin Shi Huang Emperor Mausoleum Museum recently released new discoveries from archaeological excavations in 2021. Among them, a general figurine and a mid-level military official figurine were unearthed in the First Pit of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shi Huang, which is of special significance for studying the arrangement of the entire No. 1 Pit Army Formation. In the Terracotta Warriors No. 2 pit, high-level military officials and surrounding armored samurai figurines were found, and a new understanding of the connotation and layout of the "crossbowman" unit was gained. In addition, the ruins of the rammed earth platform foundation and doorway of the outer city of the eastern gate of the outer city were found at the site of the outer city of Qin Shi Huangdi's mausoleum. This excavation also contributes to the understanding and study of the scale, grade and layout of the ceremonial buildings of the Mausoleum of the First Emperor of Qin.
In today's online live broadcast, according to Shao Wenbin, the person in charge of the archaeological excavation project of the Outer City East Gate Site of the Qin Shi Huang Emperor Mausoleum, the stratigraphic relationship of the East Gate Site outside the Outer City of the Qin Shi Huang Emperor Mausoleum is simple, in addition to 7 natural gutters, 3 modern artificial ditches, 1 modern sewage ditch, 4 modern tombs and 1 modern ash pit, the main discovery of the outer city East Gate rammed earth platform foundation, 1 doorway site, tiles and red boiled earth and other buildings piled up. 5 pieces of stone building materials, 1 piece of ironware, 1 piece of Qianlong Tongbao, and 1 piece of copper coins of the Republic of China were unearthed.
At the same time, Shao Wenbin said that the main harvest of the excavation of the East Gate site outside the Qin Shi Huang Emperor Mausoleum was three points.
First, the scale, shape and structure of the ruins of the East Gate of the Outer City of the Qin Shi Huang Emperor Mausoleum were clarified. The excavation determined that the east gate of the outer city belonged to the Ramstabal-type building, which was a gate-by-door city gate structure, and the doorway was smoothed by grass mixed mud. There are artificial stone building materials on the edge of the doorway and at the corners of the high platform, and from the slab tiles, cylinder tiles, and stone building components, it can be determined that there are auxiliary buildings in addition to the wall of the city wall. The scale of the East Gate is grand, which fully demonstrates the imperial style of Qin Shi Huang's unification of the world;
Second, this excavation clarified the construction and destruction process of the east gate of the outer city of the Qin Shi Huang Emperor Mausoleum. Using the stratigraphic accumulation relationship, it can be determined that the East Gate site first excavates a large foundation pit, and then carries out fine ramming in the pit; the thin rammer in the pit and the edge of the pit are treated in a rough way. On the rammed earth platform, the construction of the wall and the outbuildings is carried out, and the outside of the wall is smeared with grass mixed mud;
Third, this excavation will help to promote our understanding of the orientation of the Mausoleum of the First Emperor of Qin, the scale, grade and layout of the ceremonial buildings of the mausoleum, and provide basic information for the study of the funerary concept, the mausoleum system, and even the ancient mausoleum system and architectural history of the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor.
Red Star News reporter | Zeng Qi
Edited | Duan Xueying
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