2,000-year-old chariot discovered near terracotta army

China An extremely rare chariot pulled by six donkeys was discovered by archaeologists in a tomb west of the Qin Shi Huang mausoleum in Shaanxi province.

Skeletons of sheep used to pull a 2,000-year-old chariot. Photo: Dayoo News — Skeletons of sheep used to pull a 2,000-year-old chariot. Photo: *Dayoo News*

Archaeologists have discovered the remains of an ancient chariot near the famous Terracotta Army in northwest China. The sheep-drawn chariot was found in a tomb west of the site of Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s mausoleum, a few kilometers northeast of Xi’an in Shaanxi Province, Live Science reported on November 5.

Archaeologist Jiang Wenxiao, who led the excavation of the tomb, said the main structure of the chariot had rotted after more than 2,000 years underground (the tomb of Qin Shi Huang dates back to the 3rd century BC). But the team found a row of six sheep skeletons with accessories used to pull the chariot, so they deduced that this was a chariot pulled by sheep.

Horse-drawn carriages and ox-drawn carts were common in ancient China, but sheep-drawn carts were extremely rare. However, they did appear in Chinese history. Emperor Wu of Jin, the first emperor of the Jin Dynasty, who reigned from 266 to 290, used to drive a sheep-drawn cart around the palace every night to select concubines.

Wenxiao announced the discovery at the Fourth Archaeological Conference held in Xi'an in October. The team hopes to analyze the burial chamber in the western tomb to identify the person buried there.

In addition to the six-sheep chariot, archaeologists also unearthed a four-wheeled wooden chariot, possibly pulled by horses, equipped with a rectangular umbrella. They also found many bronze artifacts related to chariots and horses, iron tools and weapons, revealing the period when they first appeared.

Emperor Qin Shi Huang, who reigned from 221 to 210 BC, is considered the first emperor to unify China. His mausoleum covers more than 26 square kilometers and took 38 years to complete. Three large pits in the mausoleum contain more than 8,000 life-sized terracotta figures representing the emperor's army.

An Khang (According to Live Science )

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