Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – An ancient tomb in China holds astonishing secrets. It is known that no one has seen the tomb of China's first emperor for more than 2,000 years.
This started in 1974, in a simple field in Shaanxi Province, China, a farmer discovered an important archaeological site. Who would have thought, archaeological excavations at the location discovered a palace belonging to Qin Shi Huang, China's first emperor, which is famous for its hundreds of life-sized clay statues of warriors and war horses, including statues of respected officials and other animals.
Apparently, this soldier statue was made to guard the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, the ruler of the Qin dynasty who ruled from 221 to 210 BC.
According to archaeologists, the emperor's palace is buried around 690 meters from the ground with an area of 250 meters. It is estimated that this is the largest palace complex ever discovered. The area of the emperor's complex is estimated at 56 square kilometers.
Photo: Statues of soldiers from wild land at the archaeological site of the Palace of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China near Xi'an / Sian, Lintong District, Shaanxi (Arterra/Universal Images Group v/Arterra)
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But unfortunately, these discoveries were not explored in more depth by archaeologists. Quote IFL Sciencealthough most of the ancient necropolis surrounding the mausoleum has been explored, the emperor's tomb itself has never been opened despite the many mysteries surrounding it.
The main reason behind this fear is because archaeologists are worried about how excavation could damage the tomb and thus lose important historical information. Currently, only invasive archaeological techniques can be used to enter the tomb. The technique carries a high risk of causing irreparable damage.
One of the clearest examples of this can be seen in the excavations of the City of Troy in the 1870s by Heinrich Schliemann. Archaeologists are sure they don't want to be careless and make the same mistake again.
Scientists have floated the idea of using certain non-invasive techniques to look inside the tomb. One idea is to harness muons, the subatomic products of cosmic rays colliding with atoms in Earth's atmosphere, which can peek through X-ray-like structures. However, it seems like most of these proposals have been slow to take off.
According to archaeologists, the emperor's palace is buried around 690 meters from the ground with an area of 250 meters. It is estimated that this is the largest palace complex ever discovered. The area of the emperor's complex is estimated at 56 square kilometers.
Opening a grave is believed to bring danger
Photo: Soldier statues made in the Qin Dynasty from 246 BC to 208 BC, these figures were made to guard the emperor's tomb and were discovered by Chinese archaeologist Zhao Kangmin in 1974. (Getty Images/Tao Zhang)
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Trenches full of toxic mercury are another reason why archaeologists are reluctant to explore the tomb. That would likely be very dangerous, according to soil samples around the tomb, which showed very high levels of mercury contamination.
Mercury was believed by the ancient Chinese to enable them to achieve immortality.
In an account written by ancient Chinese historian Sima Qian about 100 years after Qin Shi Huang's death, he explained that the tomb was connected to a trap designed to kill any intruders.
“Exquisite palaces and towers for a hundred officials were built, and the tomb was filled with rare artifacts and extraordinary treasures. Craftsmen were ordered to make bows and arrows prepared to shoot anyone who entered the tomb. Mercury was used to simulate a hundred rivers, the Yangtze and the Yellow River, and the great sea, and are arranged to flow mechanically,” he explained.
For now, Qin Shi Huang's tomb remains intact and invisible. However, if the time is right, it is possible that scientific advances will finally be able to unearth the secrets that have been stored in this mysterious tomb that is around 2,200 years old.
[Gambas:Video CNBC]
(Linda Hasibuan/hsy)