A vast "army" of over 7,000 terracotta statues of soldiers surrounds the tomb of the first emperor of the Qin dynasty in the Shaanxi province in northwestern China. These vigilant soldiers have been on duty for 2,000 years, but does anyone know what sort of ruler Qin Shi Huang was? Why did his tomb have to be guarded by a mysterious army? Was Qin Shi Huang so power-hungry he sought control even over the spirit world? Why did he feel compelled to defend himself even in the next life? Using the mausoleum structure as a key, the splendidly illustrated book answers many of the questions that have intrigued travelers, archaeologists, and students of Chinese culture since the site was discovered in 1974.This lavish, powerful volume explores the life and times of the man who founded a dynasty that would continue to the dawn of the 20th century. It gathers the most recent archaeological data with photographs taken on site expressly for this book-accompanied by essays from archaeologists and experts in Chinese art and history. What emerges is a profile of one of China's most powerful, legendary figures and a new view of one of Asia's most spectacular tourist attractions.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Roberto Ciarla, born in Velletri, Italy, has participated in numerous expeditions in Italy and Asia. Since 1985 he has worked with the Museo Nazionale d'Arte Orientale in Rome as a curator of the East Asian art collections. Araldo de Luca, one of the world's leading art photographers, has published his photographs in White Star's The Treasures of the Pyramids (2003) and Pompeii (2004), among others.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Spectacular big photos of the Emperor's Army,
By Bumble Bee "Tree" (Hong Kong, China) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Eternal Army: The Terracotta Soldiers of the First Emperor (Timeless Treasures) (Hardcover)
The striking feature of this book is its inclusion of unusually large photos of close-ups of some individual soldiers. Two individual chariots, in addition, receive in-depth illustration of various aspects. If you really want to have a taste of what it feels when seeing as different each of the soldiers' faces, you will never be disappointed with this book in hand.
Several historical incidents that happened in this period also attract elaboration from this book. How the Emperor burnt thousands of scholars and books in order to take control of people's mind, is something that is explained through a model of the scene by the authors. At the end of the book, the authors also explain how they, with the help of the Chinese officials, took the photos, with equipment weighing over 1000 pounds. In the middle of the book the authors also attempt to delineate the long tradition of the Chinese philosophical thought as expressed in different schools, that preceded the rule of the Emperor over the unified China, which lasted only for 15 years! While the discussion of the philosophical thoughts might not be deep enough, I guess the readers who are interested in this book would not count this as any issue. For overall each of the faces of the soldiers that feature in the photos already tell thousands of different stories, given the reader's own imagination. I would recommend this book as a highly collectible gem!
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A "Lavish" 10-Star Treasure,
By B. Evans (Chicagoland) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Eternal Army: The Terracotta Soldiers of the First Emperor (Timeless Treasures) (Hardcover)
I bought THE ETERNAL ARMY to learn more about its discovery, the reason for its creation, and above all, for its many incredibly stunning/revealing photographs. So closely are the soldiers shown, for example, that one can clearly see the different facial expressions of each. But I was even more amazed by how detailed and different the backs of their heads are, especially the ones with braided hair. And that each soldier's armor is made up of a myriad plates absolutely astonished me.
In addition to the famous soldiers and bronze chariots (also shown in incredible detail), the camera treats the reader to close-ups of the chariot driver, archers, functuaries and the scantily clad figures now thought to perhaps be gymnasts or wrestlers "ready to engage in an exercise of martial arts." Shown too are many artifacts, such as bronze birds, that were found along with the army. But perhaps most mind-boggling of all are the photographs of finds yet to be reassembled, for they attest to how monumental the task has been to excavate and restore but a fraction of the emperor's army. Had the above, including the fascinating information about the army, been all that was in this book, I still would have gladly spent every dollar I did to purchase two copies. But much to my amazement, there was even more: approximately 90 pages of background about ancient China and the Qin empire--pages laced with stunning photographs of related artifacts and watercolors, pages so interesting that I learned much about a period that I'd had absolutely no interest in. And as an added bonus, the entire book is written in prose not the least bit pedantic. For these reasons, there are neither superlatives nor stars enough to convey how highly I recommend this book. --B. Evans, 12/11/07
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fabulous book!,
By Mary Mac (Redondo Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Eternal Army: The Terracotta Soldiers of the First Emperor (Timeless Treasures) (Hardcover)
I ordered this book so I could read about the terracotta warriors prior to visiting the exhibit currently at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, CA. The other reviews are really what sold me on the book - especially the review by B. Evans.
I ordered the book July 31 (Sunday) and paid for shipping so I could receive it prior to my museum visit August 7. I expected it to arrive the 6th but it arrived on the 4th! I was very pleased with the fast service. I was astounded when I saw the book. It surpassed the reviews by far. It's gorgeous! There's so much background information and the writing style is excellent and the photos are superb. If you have an opportunity to see an exhibit, please go! But first - buy this book! I'm so glad I'd read the background information (I skimmed a lot - there's a lot of information!) and looked at the very detailed photos prior to my visit. It made it so much more enjoyable (there's an audio guide and great written plaques at the museum but I liked knowing all that information beforehand). I also appreciate the photos even more now because the museum has low lighting and that makes a difference when you're over 50! Seeing the warriors in person is a great experience - but having this book is even better because the details are sharper and you get a vast amount of information. The exhibit had the 2 chariots with horses and so many of the warriors and animals that are featured in the book that you have your own museum tour right there in the book. I almost bought a book that featured a large fold-out of the warriors lined up in the pit. I saw that book in the museum and looked at the fold-out (and another fold-out was placed on the wall). The photography was inferior to the photography in this book. I looked at all the books the museum had and was thrilled with this book. It's really the best. So thank you to the first 3 reviewers! You sold me and I'm grateful! One thing no one mentioned was the quality of the paper in this book. That struck me immediately. It has very high quality, glossy paper which makes it easy to read and makes the photographs stand out. With tax and shipping, it came to $41.79 and is worth so much more than that.
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