In Photos: Terracotta Army invades Richmond

“Chariot No. 1 with Horses, a replica bronze statue depicting four horses transporting a charioteer sitting beneath a parasol, greets visitors to the Terracotta Army exhibit on display at the Virginia Museum of Fine Art in Richmond on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2018.

In Photos: Terracotta Army invades Richmond

by Mike Tripp/The News Leader

**Ten life-sized figures from the Terracotta Army exhibit are brightly lit as museum visitors are silhouetted at the Virginia Museum of Fine Art in Richmond.**

Travel to Richmond before it’s too late or risk missing one of the true marvels of the ancient world.

I’m not talking about Monument Drive, but I am talking about something monumental.

The oldest man-made structures in Virginia are supreme youngsters when stacked against the warriors of the Terracotta Army.

We are talking figures and other artifacts often dating back to around the time of Ying Zheng — first emperor of China, reigning from 221-210 BC.

“Terracotta Army: Legacy of the First Emperor of China” opened last November at the Virginia Museum of Fine Art in Richmond.

**Life-sized figures from the Terracotta Army exhibit on display.**

It took me until this February to make the time to take my family to go see it.

And you have til March 11 (2018) to see it for yourself.

***Museum visitors browse the various artifacts associated with the Terracotta Army exhibit before moving into the final room with the 10 life-size terracotta figures.***

When the emperor was laid to rest in 210 BC, he entered the afterlife in the company of an army of thousands — larger-than-life clay figures representing soldiers, horses and chariots.

The army was fully armed and equipped, arrayed in battle formation.

It was then buried and forgotten until farmers digging wells uncovered shards of the clay figures in 1974.

It led archeologists to unearth an estimated 8,000 of the terracotta warriors … still organized into their military ranks and called one of the greatest archaeological finds of the 20th century.

***“Kneeling Archer” is one of 10 life-sized figures from the Terracotta Army exhibit.***

When I stepped into the room with the 10 life-sized figures, I put a light pencil mark through one of the items on my bucket list.

Visiting the Terracotta Army ranked just below the desire to see Stonehenge and above the Great Pyramid of Giza.

**“Armored General” is one of 10 life-sized figures from the Terracotta Army exhibit.**

Although I have yet to see the full army, I can say that I have seen warriors FROM that ancient army.

Standing in that room, you find the brightly-lit warriors dominate their surroundings, and the mass of visitors surrounding them are diminished, lost in the shadows.