How were the terracotta warriors and horses fired during the Qin Dynasty?

Terracotta. The firing process, simply put, is to first pinch the clay out of the terracotta figurines model, and then put them into the kiln to fire, and then paint them after the firing is completed. Terracotta as wellMausoleum of Qin Shi Huangpart, discovered in 1974.

Later, with the deepening of the excavation work, the terracotta warriors and horses successfully amazed the world, and was therefore known as "the world's first".Eight WondersThe terracotta warriors and horses that amaze the world are made by potters from the Qin Dynasty, both from government and private workshops.

According to later research, most of these potters followed the following steps when making terracotta warriors. First of all, they would make figurines out of clay. The so-called figurine is large, that is, the rough tire (or first fetus) of the figurine.

After making the figurines large-scale, the potters will carry out a second mud recovering on this basis, and the details have been perfected. This detail includes the modification of the figurine's face, the armor on its body, its clothing, and the horse's head, neck, torso, and other parts. Due to the huge size of the terracotta warriors, most of the potters made them in parts.

After the finishing and detailing is completed, the potter will put the scattered parts together one by one.

After the nesting, the terracotta warriors are placed in a kiln for roasting.

The firing temperature is up to about 1000 meters. After the kiln is successfully released, the potters will further paint the terracotta warriors.

Painting processThe terracotta warriors and horses use a variety of colors, among which the most used colors are pink green, vermilion, pink purple and sky blue. Because the terracotta warriors made of clay have a relatively rough surface, the potters will first apply a surface treatment before coloring.

According to research, in order to preserve the color of the terracotta warriors and horses for a long time, the potters at that time first applied a layer of fine clay on the surface of the terracotta warriors and horses before roasting, and at the same time calendered it. Then, after the terracotta warriors were fired, they were chemically and physically treated. In addition, the surface of the terracotta warriors is also coated with a gelatinous substance.

In general, the painting process embodied in the terracotta warriors and horses is very complex and exquisite, from which it can be seen that the painting techniques in the Qin Dynasty were already very advanced. However, after being buried underground for more than 2,000 years, most of the paintings of the terracotta warriors and horses had fallen off when they were unearthed, and some of the remaining colors were rapidly oxidized due to contact with air. This is also the reason why the terracotta warriors and horses we see now are all earth-colored.

The terracotta warriors and horses of the Qin Dynasty were fired with clay, and the firing temperature reached 1,000 degrees, and some special minerals were also used, so the terracotta warriors and horses were able to be made lifelike.

It is mixed with some concrete and ceramic clay and fired according to the relevant proportions, and the firing technology during the Qin Dynasty was already very mature.

At that time, there were many official kilns, and it took a lot of manpower and material resources to make these things and fire them in the official kilns.

Due to the huge size of the terracotta warriors and horses, the production of the combination of molding, terracotta figurines, pottery horses, the head, body, and legs are bonded after the production of parting molds, and some are burned first and then connected, such as the head and body of the terracotta figurines. Most of them are first connected and then fired, and such a large pottery sculpture should not crack or deform when firing, and it is required to be uniform and maintain a certain high temperature, which reflects that the kiln technology of the Qin Dynasty has reached a very high level.

Terracotta Warriors and Horses.

It is mainly fired from yellow clay. Qin figurines archaeological experts have done simulated experiments to take the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang.

The yellow-brown soil in the vicinity imitates Qin bricks, and after testing, its texture and chemical composition are roughly the same as those of Qin bricks, from which it can be inferred that the terracotta figurines and pottery horses were made of soil near the Mausoleum of the First Emperor.

Most of the terracotta warriors and horses are made by the method of pottery smelting and firing, first use the pottery mold to make the first fetus, and then cover a layer of fine mud for processing, depiction and color, some of the first friends to burn after the grandson, some first to burn again. The heat is uniform, the color is single, and the hardness is very high. In each process, there is a different division of labor, and there is a set of strict work system.

The white sand grains contained in the terracotta figurines and terracotta horse tires have been tested as sand grains of quartz, feldspar, mica and other components, and the appearance is irregular, the size is about millimeters, and some are greater than 1 millimeter. The doping of part of the sand particles in the mud can enhance the mechanical properties.

Make large terracotta figurines and pottery horses easy to form; During roasting, it will not be twisted or expanded due to high temperature.

<>1. Qin Shi Huang repaired the tomb. According to folklore, after the unification of the Six Kingdoms, Qin Shi Huang began to build mausoleums on a large scale due to superstitious ideas. The site of the mausoleum was set in the scenic Lishan Mountain.

In order to build the mausoleum, not only nearly 700,000 prisoners were transferred from all over the country, but also a large number of peasants were requisitioned from Henan, Shandong and other places to expand the number of people who built the mausoleum.

Second, Li Si received the order. In addition, Qin Shi Huang ordered Li Si, who was the prime minister of Qin at the time, to ask Li Si to recruit thousands of boys and girls from the people to be buried for him. After receiving the edict, Li Si knew the danger of this task, and a large number of migrant workers had been requisitioned to build the mausoleum, and the people had complained, if thousands of boys and girls were gathered, the world would be in chaos, and the Qin Dynasty would not be protected, if the boys and girls were not recruited, the king of Qin was furious and worried about his life.

3. Suiyu Lisi advises. After receiving the edict, Li Si couldn't sleep at night, and the fish at the bottom of the kettle were anxious. Later, when looking at the clay sculptures placed in the house, I suddenly thought that I could use terracotta figurines instead of boys and girls to be buried.

Therefore, he immediately wrote to the King of Qin to advise the King of Qin to replace boys and girls with figurines, and analyzed the pros and cons in detail from the perspective of the Great Qin Jiangshan. After some persuasion, the King of Qin agreed to use terracotta figurines instead of virgins for burial, so he ordered Li Si to immediately gather capable craftsmen to fire terracotta figurines throughout the country.

Fourth, the burning of terracotta warriors. During the Qin Dynasty, people's lives were relatively simple, and the structure of clay pots and pottery bowls used in daily life was simple. More than 100 craftsmen who were summoned for the first time lost their lives, and one of the artisans who was killed told his son that he could try to fire the figurines in sections.

Later, the son succeeded in firing pottery figures and horses using this method, and the son of the old craftsman and the second batch of craftsmen who fired the terracotta warriors and horses were able to save their lives.

The terracotta warriors and horses are the funerary goods in the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, and the process of firing the terracotta warriors and horses is very complex, which can be roughly divided into the following steps:

1.Design: Design according to the Qin Dynasty army's best equipment, clothing style and combat posture and other elements.

2.Making an inner mold: An inner mold is made by imitating the shape, size, proportion and other characteristics of the terracotta warriors and horses through materials such as wood or clay.

3.Making the outer mold: The outer mold is made by coating the surface with clay according to the shape of the inner mold. The thermal expansion of copper should be considered in the production of the outer mold.

4.Casting: pour the copper liquid on the outer mold, wait for the copper liquid to solidify, and polish it finely and smoothly.

5.Engraving details: After the casting is completed, the details are engraved to make it have a realistic expression and correct battle posture.

6.Coloring: Glaze or color the terracotta warriors with pigments.

The above is the general process of firing the soldiers and building the macro horse warriors.

1. The Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shi Huang are mainly made of clay and sold old. The pottery of the terracotta figurines and pottery horses unearthed from the Qin Warriors Pit showed that the main chemical components contained in them were silicon oxide, alumina and iron oxide.

2. This is basically the same chemical composition as the bricks and tiles of the Qin Dynasty unearthed from the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, and the raw materials used are yellow clay. Qin Warriors archaeological experts have done simulated experiments, take the yellow-brown soil near the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, dry, roll, wash to remove the impurities in the soil, imitate the Qin bricks, after testing its texture, chemical composition and the first brick of the Qin Servant are roughly the same, from which it can be inferred that the terracotta figurines, pottery horses and the bricks and tiles unearthed from the Mausoleum of the First Emperor are all fired on the spot with the soil near the Mausoleum of the First Emperor.