Farmers Uncover A 2,000-Year-Old Tomb That Was Not To Be Opened
History has a funny way of revealing itself by accident. When a group of Chinese farmers inadvertently dug up one of history's greatest treasures, they were over the moon at the thought of their discovery unlocking some lost piece of the past. Yet as scientists began taking stock of the farmers' find, they soon understood that some treasures become lost for a reason...
Digging In
It began on a cool March day in the mountains northeast of Xi'an in Shaanxi Province in 1974. Seeking to tap into the area's plentiful water reserves, a group of farmers had begun digging a small well about a mile east of the imposing Mount Li.
Mountains of Promise
As they got deeper, the farmers couldn't help but cast a hopeful eye at the dirt as they pulled each shovelful from the earth. For centuries, these mountains had revealed countless bits of promise for hopeful treasure hunters.
Historical Shards
Fragments of terracotta, as well as roofing tiles and chunks of masonry, were common discoveries, yet these small finds had never given way to anything larger. Was there more to be found, or was this just some thousand-year-old garbage dump?
Man in the Dirt
The answer seemed to indicate the former, as just a few hours into digging one farmer unearthed something remarkable — a man. Yet this one wasn't made of flesh and blood: he was entirely terracotta.
