1In nineteen seventy-four, some farmers who were digging a well found something strange underground.
2Beneath their field lay thousands of life-size soldiers made entirely of clay.
3The army was built to guard the first emperor of China after death.
4Each soldier has a different face, a different hairstyle, and a different expression.
5Archaeologists believe that more than seven hundred thousand workers took part in the project.
6The figures once carried real bronze weapons that were still sharp enough to kill.
7Bright paint covered the clay, but it faded within minutes of exposure.
8For that reason, many of the largest pits remain unopened even today.
9Modern scientists are now developing careful ways to protect the colours underground.
10The site has become one of the greatest archaeological museums in the world.
11It reminds us how much power one ruler could command in ancient times.