Ancient History Report: Conservation Challenges for Terracotta Army

This report examines the conservation and preservation challenges facing the Terracotta Warriors, a significant archaeological and cultural heritage site. Discovered in 1974, the site attracts approximately 5 million visitors annually, raising concerns about the environmental impact on the relics. The report highlights the deterioration caused by factors such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and ozone, largely attributed to a nearby thermal plant. It references historical attempts at preservation and discusses recommendations, including the implementation of 'air curtains' to separate the internal and external environments, and the restoration of the original pit-like structure. The report emphasizes the importance of maintaining temperature and humidity and cites research from Environmental Science & Technology, advocating for new measures to protect the Qin Terracotta Warriors and other relics. The study provides a comprehensive overview of the environmental factors impacting the site and proposes actionable solutions for its long-term preservation.

Issues of conservation and preservation of the site
Terracotta Warriors

Terracotta in
despair

UNESCO World
Heritage
The Chinese army, which was
part of the process of emperor’s
funerary procession in and
around 209 B.C., was later
discovered again in the year
of1974 by some local peasants
who were farming the fields
In the year 1979, China ended
up setting a vast museum for
preserving this heritage
The mausoleum later was
recognised as world heritage site
and it is estimated that 5 million
visitors visit the place every year.

Researchers'
worry
Environments in such places are often made for
visitors comfort and not that of preservation, can
do lot of harm to the heritage itself
But researchers all
over the world worry
that environmental
control systems used
in the region are not
good enough to
preserve the future of
this heritage

Heritage to Protect

Floor Map

Exterior View, indicative of the environmental
factors

Signs of Wear and Tear
Some of the soldiers in the
place are already facing
environmental challenges
and are expected to end
Sulfur dioxide, nitrogen
oxide and ozone air
components are the cause
of biggest worry
Every year layers of these
gases are increasing in the
place
It is said most of this waste
polluntants are components
of bad air released by the
nearby thermal plant.

Historical attempts
Hopefully the plans for preserving the color on these newly excavated warriors will be
successful.
This new excavation is sure to bring in quite a large amount of new tourists, and
probably boost the popularity of this site in the coming years.
Qin Shihuang’s tomb site is one of the most important archaeological and cultural
heritage sites in China (and in the world), and it is certainly one of the most
frequented and well-known.

Importance of
preservation of
such site
The place require air curtains and other modifications which can help in
preservation of the historical artic raft
That’s the conclusion drawn from environment experts; this is a cause of
concern
Their study appeared in ACS’ journal Environmental Science & Technology.

 Environmental Factors have led to deterioration of this place
 It has led to impact on 1500 relics
 Mostly impacted relics are Qin Terracotta Warriors and various horses
 Area covered in this area is 17,500 square yards
 5 million people visit the place throughout the year
 Most famous visited relic is that of Qin Shi Huang who was born in 259 BC
 In early February, Gu Zhaolin, a professor at Xi'an Jiaotong University, and his team
published a paper in Environmental Science and Technology. It talked about methods
of preservation which can be applied.
 An air curtain looks similar to household air conditioners, and are very important for
the future preservation of this project
 These kind of covers are usaully seen in the super markets also
Environmental Factors

Recommendations
New measures required to
preserve such articrafts
Involve use of ‘air curtain’
that would separate the
external and internal
environment
Air curtains would keep the
heat and pollutants away
from the place
Layer of cool air
distributors to be installed
in house, which will keep
circulating the air inside
from time to time