[tranquil music playing]
[narrator] 2,200 years ago, the first emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi,
conquered all six Chinese kingdoms for the first time in history
to create China.
To protect his empire, he built the first Great Wall
and gave orders for the most spectacular tomb the world has ever seen
to be constructed for his afterlife.
But after his death, the Qin dynasty would collapse in chaos and civil war,
and the site of his epic tomb disappeared from history.
[music turns tense]
[Yuan Zhongyi, in Mandarin] I remember it was hot season at that time.
Some farmers found something unknown while digging a well.
So they asked me to go to Xi'an to take a look.
How are things progressing? Don't miss anything.
When I first saw it, I felt so excited.
And it was just the tip of the iceberg.
[dramatic music playing]
[reporter 1, in English] A vast pottery army,
slowly being unearthed from the tomb where it's lain for more than 2,000 years.
[reporter 2] It is amazing, the tomb that is 19 square miles,
and inside, there's thousands of pieces of these terracotta warriors.
[reporter 3] The figures, each different, and numbering around 8,000,
uncovered on the burial site of the country's first emperor.
[Yuan, in Mandarin] They called it the Eighth Wonder of the World.
[music fades]
[poignant music playing]
[man, in English] I remember, when I went to the excavation site as a kid,
looking face to face at the 8,000 warriors.
All with distinct features.
That itself is already awe-inspiring.
Eight thousand warriors buried next to the man who created China.
That has to be the most important archaeological discovery of all time.
But the truly amazing thing
is that the 8,000 warriors is guarding something much more important.
The first emperor's mausoleum.
[stirring music playing]
This is a personal burial complex.
Sixty square kilometers, which is the equivalent to the size of Manhattan.
It is astonishing to think that this is all built for one man.
[narrator] After the first emperor of Qin died,
he was buried in a tomb beneath the huge mound at the heart of the site.
Since the surprise discovery of the warriors 50 years ago,
archaeologists have unearthed countless discoveries.
But the enormity of the site
means that they're not even close to uncovering it all.
[Yuan, in Mandarin] The emperor's mausoleum
was a replica of the Qin capital city...
with two huge walls around the mound
and buildings covering tens of millions of square meters.
There are so many things buried underground.
Everything we find is so brilliant,
and so vivid.
[Hui, in English] The discovery is unique.
We have terracotta servants who could serve him.
We have terracotta acrobats that could entertain him.
Terracotta chariots, horses.
What it all adds up to is a world of terracotta
built for the emperor for him to rule over for eternity.
But how could a dynasty capable of creating something so extraordinary
fall so quickly?
[tense music playing]
[narrator] For archaeologists,
the first clue is the condition in which the treasures were found.
[music intensifies]
[music softens]
[music fades]
[intriguing music playing]
[Janice] I think people feel like,
when we excavated, all these terracotta warriors were standing there.
But it was not the case.
All these terracotta warriors were broken into pieces.
No one survived.
[narrator] Janice is part of a new army of archaeologists,
forensic scientists,
and restorers
at what has become one of the largest archaeological sites in the world.
They are united in trying to discover exactly what happened to the warriors.
[music fades]
[man, in Mandarin] The hand's exposed.
The head should be here.
But be careful when you work on this part.
The surface has a lot of folds so we may be able to preserve some color.
[Janice, in English] That's the fascinating part,
because you can tell they really have different personalities.
[Zhu, in Mandarin] This is good.
[Janice, in English] So every face,
you meet a new person from the Qin dynasty.
[woman, in Mandarin] He's smiling.
[narrator, in English] In the restoration unit,
the emperor's army is being pieced together
one life-sized warrior at a time.
[camera beeps]
[man, in Mandarin] Seven, eight, nine, ten, 11.
[camera clicks]
[counting in Mandarin]
[Lan, in Mandarin] We have 36 big pieces.
And if we include bits of armor and the nails for it,
that's nearly 400 pieces for one warrior.
That's a lot of pieces.
[contemplative music playing]
[Lan, in Mandarin] I often think I'm a relic doctor,
accompanying them and treating them until they come back to life.
Generally speaking, this warrior is relatively complete.
Only his footboard is missing.
When it comes out, we can start to restore him.
The ultimate goal is to stand him up
and get him back to his army.
[narrator, in English] A single statue can take up to three years
to put back together.
[Hui] We know the warriors were intact when they were buried.
But sometime between then and now, every single one of them was smashed.
That's one of the biggest mysteries that points us to why the Qin dynasty fell.
So, what happened?
[dynamic music playing]
[narrator] In the pits where the warriors were buried,
the archaeologists are trying to find out
by forensically examining every piece of evidence.
[Hui] There are a lot of theories.
Tomb robbers, vandalism, natural collapse.
But no one knows for certain.
What we know for sure is something big happened.
[Zhu, in Mandarin] When you go deep into the work,
sometimes you forget everything.
Our eyes are searching,
trying to distinguish the differences with others we've seen before.
[woman, in Mandarin] The soil looks wet. It's colored.
[Zhu] That's red fired earth.
- [woman] Fired earth? - [Zhu] Yes.
[Zhu] And wood charcoal.
[woman] Hm.
[Zhu] It's been burnt.
Only when the fires were very strong and burned for a very long time
would the soil turn red.
The broken pieces were the result of a collapse.
But this was man-made destruction.
[contemplative music playing]
[Yuan, in Mandarin] The terracotta warriors were burned in a fire.
Who set the fire?
That is the question.
[Hui, in English] This is more than just an ancient wonder of the world.
It is also, in a sense, a giant crime scene.
[brush rustles softly]
[gentle music playing]
[narrator] Until the discovery of the tomb and the warriors,
almost everything known about the Qin dynasty
was taken from one historical record.
A revered 2,000-year-old text known as the Shiji.
[man] Shiji is the first major history of China.
The main author is Sima Qian.
It contains a detailed account of the first emperor's life and his death.
[music turns suspenseful]
- [horses whinnying] - [warriors yelling]
[Sima Qian] In the 26th year of his rule,
the first emperor unified all under heaven.
[narrator] The Shiji tells the story of the first emperor, a warrior of Qin.
[warriors yelling]
[dynamic music playing]
[narrator] The emperor conquered six kingdoms
and unified China for the first time in history under his total control.
He gave China its name.
But the record says
that the mighty dynasty,
destined for 10,000 generations,
lasted for only 15 years before it collapsed.
One of the things that is special about the Shiji is the way it is written.
It combines history and epic drama.
Some of it, we are a little bit more skeptical if it happened or not.
We have no other finding that could back some of the claims up.
But the big question is how much of that is true?
So that's why the excavation is so exciting.
For the first time in 2,000 years,
we have a chance to figure out whether what Sima Qian wrote is correct.
[intriguing music playing]
[in Mandarin] Let's measure the length and the width.
[narrator, in English] On the east side of the site,
archaeologists have uncovered foundations of a monumental gate
that they believe was once the main entrance to the mausoleum.
- [Fu, in Mandarin] Length? - 100.
The width is 95.
- [Fu] Ninety-five? - [woman] Yes.
[Fu] And the hole?
[woman] 10.6.
[Fu] This is the widest gate ever found in China.
After he proclaimed himself emperor, the site was constantly extended.
It was a national project.
They were gathering the whole empire to focus on one thing.
[steady percussive music playing]
[narrator, in English] Work on the first emperor's tomb
began when he was just 13 years old.
- [music continues] - [indistinct chatter]
[in Mandarin] Be careful.
Careful.
Lift it up.
[narrator, in English] By the time he had conquered all of China,
he commanded the vast resources required
to build the greatest tomb complex on Earth.
[music turns melodic]
[narrator] In the storage vaults, Janice is examining evidence
of the brutality meted out on those forced to build the tomb.
[Janice] From the material remains,
we can tell how hard that time was
for people who worked here to construct this mausoleum complex.
You can see this is relatively big.
Not like on the legs. So that's really on someone's neck.
- [guard shouting] - [chains rattling]
[Sima Qian] When the first emperor unified the empire,
more than 700,000 convicts were sent to build his mausoleum at Mount Li.
[Hui] The first emperor mobilized people by force.
[guard 1, in Mandarin] Keep up. Keep up.
[Hui, in English] He convicted as many people as possible.
- [guard 1, in Mandarin] Move quickly! - [guard 2] Keep up. Keep up.
[Hui, in English] And made them part of the labor force
that would work for his projects.
The Qin legal code is very detailed, and also very harsh.
Whenever you are associated with a criminal, you'll also get convicted.
If you were unlucky enough to have that happen to you,
what awaits you is extremely brutal.
[intriguing music playing]
We find many of these kind of iron shackles within the mausoleum complex.
In Shiji, Sima Qian mentions a large quantity of convicts coming here,
and also some other status people or craftspeople.
But particularly for these, we can see that many convicts were involved,
and many people suffered.
[pensive music playing]
[guard 1, in Mandarin] What are you looking at? Move!
[guard 2 shouts]
Have you tied it well?
[narrator, in English] Workshops in nearby towns
were formed into a massive terracotta production line
involving craftsmen drawn from across the empire.
[steady percussive music playing]
[in Mandarin] The eyebrow can be slightly higher.
The eye is the key part.
[Hui, in English] This is the first time craftsmen from all seven Chinese states
came together to work on one single project.
And the result of that
was the creation of something that no one had ever seen before.
[in Mandarin] Pay attention to the area above the mouth.
[Hui, in English] For a civilization to produce something in such great detail
on such scale over 2,200 years ago,
it shows us a remarkable level of sophistication.
[gentle music playing]
[music fades to silence]
[Lan, in Mandarin] I've worked in restoration for 25 years.
And it's rare to see one warrior still completely colored.
This is the head of a warrior which we've recently excavated.
It belongs to a senior army officer.
When the warriors were first made, they were all colored.
But because they've been buried for over 2,000 years,
and because of the movement of the soil,
the colors on their surface usually fall off when they're excavated.
But this piece was buried in the very bottom,
so it was better preserved.
[poignant music playing]
[Lan] When I look into their eyes and their facial expressions,
it's like they're alive.
They're an incarnation of the Qin people, as well as an epitome of the Qin army.
[Lo, in English] I think these realistic faces
were based on real people
from all over China at the time.
And the idea probably came from the emperor himself.
Because it's a very, very powerful graphic representation
of that feat he had achieved.
A fantastic symbol of the unification of different ethnic people.
Of this first unified empire.
If we did not have the first emperor,
it is possible that China would have continued to be divided
among different states, much like the divided Europe today.
[poignant music playing]
[Lo] So if we look at the warriors,
I think it's really, really important in the context of world history,
of global history, because you can see how China has become different, if not unique.
[intriguing music playing]
[narrator] The emperor spared no expense and stopped at nothing
in preparing for his afterlife.
But he had failed to prepare for his succession on Earth,
refusing to announce an heir to his kingdom.
The danger of having too much power in the hands of one man
was about to turn all he built, the whole Qin world, upside down.
[intriguing music continues]
[music fades]
[Guo] The Shiji tells us
the first emperor fell ill on tour through the eastern parts of the empire.
[Sima Qian] In the seventh month, the first emperor reached Shaqiu.
None would dare to mention the matter of death.
[narrator] The story recorded in the Shiji
says that traveling with the emperor on his fateful last tour
were three characters
who would play a key role in the future of the Qin dynasty.
[Hui] Li Si was the emperor's right-hand man. He was the chief minister.
Nothing in the empire happened that did not go through him.
[tense music playing]
[in Mandarin] Quick.
[Hui, in English] Zhao Gao, a man from a disgraced family,
had worked his way up to become the emperor's closest servant.
[in Mandarin] You!
Go find Si Li!
You!
Go find Hu Hai!
[narrator, in English] Crucially, Zhao Gao was the guardian of the imperial seal,
which the emperor required to issue all of his commands.
And finally, there was the youngest of the emperor's sons, Prince Hu Hai.
[Hui] Given that he was the youngest,
Hu Hai was probably not very high up in the line of succession.
But he was the only son that accompanied the emperor on the tour.
[music turns suspenseful]
[in Mandarin] Teacher.
[music fades]
[mournful music playing]
The emperor is dead.
[Hu Hai gasps]
All he has left is this letter for his eldest son,
designating him as heir.
If this letter is delivered,
he will be enthroned as emperor.
And you will be left with nothing.
So, what should be done with it?
That should be obvious!
If our father has left orders, then what can we, as loyal subjects, presume to do?
Bid the chief minister to destroy this letter
and support your own worthy claim.
I will not hear this.
At the moment, the decision of who shall take control of the empire
lies with you, me, and the chief minister alone.
How can I consult the chief minister on such a matter?
[Zhao Gao sighs softly]
Let me consult with him on your behalf.
[emotional music playing]
[narrator] After convincing the prince,
Zhao Gao successfully persuaded the chief minister to join the conspiracy.
[suspenseful music playing]
Together, they destroyed the letter from the emperor
which named Hu Hai's eldest brother as the emperor's successor,
and replaced it with a fake letter
that told the rightful heir he had displeased his father
and his immediate suicide was the only way to make amends.
[in Mandarin] The deed is done.
We can only resign ourselves to fate.
Come now.
[narrator, in English] In order for their plot to work,
the conspirators had to keep the emperor's death a secret
while they waited for their letter to take effect.
[hooves clopping]
[in Mandarin] Stop.
Quick! Hurry up!
[narrator, in English] So the dead body of the most powerful man on the planet
was bundled into his traveling carriage.
His corpse would be driven around in the sweltering Chinese summer heat
until the rightful heir was fooled by the plotters.
[music becomes tense]
[in Mandarin] Go, go!
[narrator, in English] As time passed,
the body of the dead emperor became a liability.
The plotters reached for desperate measures.
[Sima Qian] The emperor's carriage began to stink in the hot weather.
To disguise the smell, the conspirators surrounded it with carts of fish.
[narrator] Against the odds, the letter worked.
The rightful heir took his own life,
and the plotters were free to return to the capital
to announce the emperor's death,
taking with them another forged letter naming Hu Hai as heir.
[Sima Qian] Hu Hai was installed as the second emperor.
But the conspirators feared the empire would not easily submit.
[somber music playing]
[Hui] We know from records that when the emperor's death
was finally announced
that they would all have been together at the same event.
[Sima Qian] In the ninth month, the first emperor was buried at Mount Li.
Everyone within the Four Seas offered tribute.
[narrator] The emperor's funeral should have been the crowning moment
for the vast tomb complex he'd spent his adult life building.
But the conspiracy cast the event in a different light.
Front and center was the second emperor, Hu Hai,
asserting his right to rule...
backed up by the two conspirators who had put him there.
[music intensifies]
[narrator] Hu Hai's eldest brothers must have known
that the succession had been fixed.
His sudden promotion over them was not just a personal slight.
Now they were potential threats to the throne.
Threats that could not be allowed to live.
[music peaks, then fades]
[narrator] Evidence of the horror that unfolded after the funeral
has been uncovered at the site.
[poignant music playing]
[Zhu, in Mandarin] In the northeast corner of the inner city of the mausoleum,
there are around 100 small tombs.
We excavated ten of them.
One of the tombs was wrecked.
But in the other nine, we found human bones.
The bones were so mixed up
that we couldn't tell one body from another.
They seemed to have been dismembered.
We also found pearls in the soil.
[poignant music continues]
[Zhu, in Mandarin] It was a very unexpected find.
Some pearls had traces of being gilded.
It was a high-level luxury accessory, beyond the reach of common people.
Based on this discovery,
we think they may be the first emperor's concubines.
- [rumbling] - [hooves clopping]
[narrator, in English] The first to feel the wrath of the new regime
were the unfortunate young women of the imperial harem.
[Guo] The reason why they were targeted is not so clear from historical records.
But in the context of the conspiracy,
we can find a possible logical explanation for it.
[uneasy music playing]
[horse whinnying]
[Guo] Some of the concubines
may well have been on tour with the first emperor when he died...
[uneasy music continues]
[Guo] ...and could have witnessed
the strange events that surrounded the emperor's death.
[music intensifies]
[gasps]
[Guo] Perhaps Hu Hai thought that these concubines knew too much.
[music softens]
[music fades to silence]
[in Mandarin] There are many limb bones here.
These women are generally slender.
Also, they were not very tall.
[poignant music playing]
[Chen, in Mandarin] They selected women with heights between 150 cm and 160 cm.
Their weight was also controlled within a range.
[Zhu, in Mandarin] The Shiji says these women were ordered to die.
But there is no mention of how they died.
[hooves clopping]
[Sima Qian] During the burial of the first emperor,
the second emperor gave an order.
Of the women in the harem of the former ruler,
it would be unfitting that those who had no sons be sent elsewhere.
All were accordingly ordered to accompany the dead emperor,
which resulted in the death of many women.
[somber music playing]
[Zhu, in Mandarin] Do you think this hole is from a chopping injury?
Or something else?
[Chen] It doesn't look like that. It's not neat.
[in Mandarin] They may have been killed and then dismembered after.
Or they may actually have been hacked to death.
[Chen] If they used weapons made of bronze or iron,
it would leave a clean cut.
[somber music playing]
[Chen] This injury was definitely caused after death.
It had nothing to do with how she died.
If they were dismembered after death,
it would have been at the joints, where it's easier to cut through,
especially when someone does it for a living.
- [Zhu] It appears they were dismembered. - [Chen] That's right.
[Zhu] But their bodies were in one piece when they died.
[somber music continues]
[Zhu] We still don't know how the concubines died,
but these women did not die of natural causes.
And however they were killed... it was very cruel.
[somber music continues]
[music softens]
[narrator, in English] The brutality meted out to the concubines
was just the beginning.
Chilling evidence of the conspirators' next move
was discovered in a remote far corner of the site by Yuan Zhongyi.
[Yuan, in Mandarin] During our exploration,
we've found a lot of burial pits.
The people in them seem to have been murdered
and mutilated
at young ages.
In Shangjiao village,
we found 17 small tombs
and excavated eight of them.
I think the youngest one was only 18 years old,
and the oldest one was 30.
As for who killed them?
We don't know.
[mournful music playing]
[narrator, in English] The bodies were identified
by a personal seal found in the grave.
By tradition, these were buried with the remains of high-status individuals.
[Yuan, in Mandarin] We think they were the graves
of the sons and daughters of the first emperor.
[narrator, in English] After the funeral,
the conspirators turned their attention to each of Hu Hai's potential rivals.
[rapid banging at doors]
[suspenseful music playing]
[in Mandarin] Prince Jianglu,
I am placing you and your brothers under arrest.
On what charge?
Disloyalty to the throne?
This is an outrage!
I demand to see my brother.
His Majesty's orders to me were very clear.
"No loose ends."
[music turns tense]
[narrator, in English] The real terror had just begun.
[repeated banging]
[Sima Qian] The law was made severe, and the punishments harsh.
- Corpses formed heaps in the marketplace. - [banging continues]
[in Mandarin] I must see His Majesty.
[bell ringing]
[suspenseful music playing]
[bell ringing]
Your Highness.
What news?
All your father's ministers have been purged.
They move fast.
The worst is to come.
Yesterday, at the market in Xianyang,
12 of your brothers were executed.
And your sisters...
they were torn to pieces.
You must flee, Your Highness. Take your family and leave.
Your Highness.
[ominous music playing]
[music quickens]
[narrator, in English] The problem for Prince Gao
and for the whole royal family
was that there was nowhere to run.
[in Mandarin] I have committed no crime.
[narrator, in English] Those who were spared the public execution
were given only one way out.
[intense music playing]
I have committed no crime!
- [metallic swooshing] - [blood spattering]
[narrator, in English] By the end of the first year of Hu Hai's reign,
the records say that most of his brothers and sisters were dead.
[intriguing music playing]
[narrator] Now, one of the site's most significant finds ever
might be the key to proving that this is not just legend, but fact.
To the west of the site, close to the emperor's tomb mound,
a huge excavation is underway.
A series of vast tombs has been discovered.
Opening them has never been attempted before.
It would usually be forbidden.
But the threat of rainwater damage has led to an exceptional decision.
To excavate one of the tombs.
[man, in Mandarin] The opportunity to excavate this tomb
is completely unprecedented.
So it's the only opportunity.
[intriguing music continues]
[Jiang, in Mandarin] Every time I go down, I still feel amazed.
The tomb was so precisely built.
[intriguing music continues]
So deep, so large in scale!
Most ancient tombs have been robbed,
so we didn't have much hope for the coffin chamber.
But it turned out it hadn't been robbed.
We were amazed!
The coffin is badly decayed, but the tomb owner is still in there.
And lots of weapons were unearthed, including armor, crossbows, and swords.
[intriguing music continues]
[Janice, in English] What makes this tomb so exciting
is that this is a real warrior of the Qin dynasty.
We already found thousands of terracotta warriors,
but we didn't have the opportunity to excavate a real Qin warrior.
[music intensifies]
[Janice] And this is quite close to the first emperor's tomb mound.
So, who was he?
[Hui] Whoever this person was,
he was clearly very important and very close to the emperor.
If we can figure out his identity,
it could be key for us to understand what happened after the emperor's death.
[intense percussive music playing]
[narrator] Janice has been brought in
to examine the extraordinary artifacts found with the coffin
to see if they can help reveal more about the tomb owner's identity.
[Jiang, in Mandarin] This is a jade disc. There is a circle outside, and a frame.
There is a thin pattern as well.
- Its outer ring. - Yes. In the middle part.
It's a geometric pattern as a whole.
[Jiang] The jade piece was an ornament on a scabbard.
[Janice, in English] The burial materials in Tomb One is really fascinating.
You know, some of the objects, we never seen before,
like a gold camel and dancing figure.
[Jiang, in Mandarin] From this, we can judge
that the tomb owner might have a royal status.
[in Mandarin] It is rather finely decorated.
[in English] These are quite exotic objects
that is the first time found in the mausoleum complex.
The question is whether we can tell the date.
[Jiang, in Mandarin] Take it out and have a look.
[in Mandarin] This is from the late Warring States period.
Yes.
[Janice] They couldn't be cast as late as the Han Dynasty.
It must have been cast earlier.
[in English] All these coins we discovered we call Ban Liang.
These kind of coins, the size of the coins, and also the character,
definitely Qin coins from the later Qin.
[narrator] The coins are clear evidence
that the tomb owner was amongst the wealthiest of Qin society,
and they date the burial to the end of the Qin dynasty.
[in Mandarin] How many pieces have been unearthed?
- It's about 5,000 to 6,000. - Five thousand to 6,000 pieces?
[in English] It's unusual to find 6,000 coins in this tomb.
It's really a fortune.
[in Mandarin] Let's take a look at this crossbow.
It's smaller than the ones from the Terracotta Warriors Pit.
And it has a casing.
Crossbows with trigger casings were very rare at that time.
[in English] This type of the crossbow triggers,
that's late Qin dynasty.
And that gives quite narrow time window of this tomb.
From probably after the emperor died
to before the fall of the Qin dynasty.
So that's three, four years.
So who could be buried with the Qin first emperor
in this time period?
And why?
[poignant music playing]
[narrator] Narrowing the date
reduces the list of candidates who could be in the tomb.
[Hui] If the mystery warrior was buried
between the death of the emperor and the fall of the Qin,
then there is only a short list of candidates it could be.
- [intriguing music playing] - [birds singing]
[Jiang, in Mandarin] After the first emperor died,
his sons all came to a bad end.
So I'm still more inclined to believe that this tomb
belongs to a high-ranking nobleman or army chief.
[narrator, in English] If archaeologists find a personal seal inside the coffin,
they can prove beyond doubt the tomb owner's identity.
But the condition of the coffin means that this could take years.
[Jiang, in Mandarin] Originally, we wanted to investigate the coffin in place.
Be careful of that wood.
But there's a big temperature difference between winter and summer.
[narrator, in English] With pieces of gold, jade,
and precious metals exposed to the elements,
they need to act fast.
[Jiang, in Mandarin] If we clean it on site,
the drastic change in temperature and humidity
might have a big impact on the excavated relics and remains.
So we want to pack it first and take it indoors for the investigation.
[in Mandarin] Look at the objects on the pillar there.
We need something to protect them.
[narrator, in English] The plan involves packaging up the coffin
along with the tons of earth that surround it
and lifting the whole thing into the lab in one piece.
The extreme weight makes extracting the coffin deeply risky.
Nothing like this has ever been attempted before.
[in Mandarin] The steel plates can be put in one by one.
We can operate from here or from the other side.
Yes, both sides will work.
We need to lay tracks up the passage.
Then use a crane with a 50 to 100-ton capacity to pull it up.
The problem is it's uneven and bumpy here, so it'll be difficult to load.
This is a huge archaeological challenge.
I'm sure we will solve all these problems.
[intriguing music playing]
[tool scraping]
[narrator, in English] Near to the tomb mound,
Fu Jian's investigation is closing in
on what happened to the buildings that once stood here.
[in Mandarin] We think there was a tower. I want to know how it was destroyed.
That's what I care about most.
[narrator, in English] If the damage done to the warriors extends here,
it would mean this was more than just a robbery.
It would point to a very different explanation.
[man, in Mandarin] We just found some broken tiles.
One of them has characters on it.
[Fu] That seems to be "Shui."
It's "Zuo Shui."
I think Zuo Shui was a manufacturer in the Qin dynasty.
It could be part of the tower.
In Pit One and Pit Two of the Warriors,
there is clear evidence of man-made damage.
But there is no direct evidence to prove it was all done at the same time.
[narrator, in English] The fires in the Warrior Pits
could have been caused by ancient robbers.
But if fires burned here at the same time so close to the tomb,
it's evidence of a plan of deliberate destruction.
[dramatic music playing]
[Hui] When the first emperor died, the convicts were still there working,
building the huge mound over the tomb.
But almost exactly a year after the first emperor's death,
a major uprising broke out in the east part of the empire,
which was going to have a major effect on the construction of the mausoleum.
[tense music playing]
[narrator] By the time anyone dared to tell the emperor there was a problem,
the situation had spiraled out of control.
[in Mandarin] Rise.
[narrator, in English] A rebel army, reportedly 300,000 strong,
was heading towards the capital.
[in Mandarin] Then call up forces from the nearby districts and kill them.
Your Majesty, the bandits are already close by and great in number.
There is no time to call up forces from the nearby districts.
Are you saying we are powerless to stop them?
[music intensifies]
[shouts] Have you lost your tongues?
Your Majesty, there are many convict laborers at Mount Li.
Might I humbly suggest that they be pressed into Your Majesty's service
and used for an attack.
Do so with all haste.
And do not disturb me in my pleasure until it's done.
By order of His Imperial Majesty,
all men over the age of 15 must take up arms and fight.
[tense music continues]
Why should we fight? What business is this war of ours?
- Silence! - Hold on!
Any convicted man that fights for His Majesty will be issued a pardon.
[narrator, in English] Hu Hai's force of untrained convicts
was a far cry from the feared, well-disciplined army
with which his father had conquered China.
[Janice, in Mandarin] Let's check if there's an inscription.
[narrator, in English] Janice is examining real weapons
found in the pits alongside the terracotta warriors.
[Janice, in English] When we see any objects from the mausoleum complex,
they have a big story behind it.
[in Mandarin] You can see it right on this spot.
The inscription is clear.
[in English] Terracotta warriors were equipped with bronze weapons.
The lances or halberds for the infantry.
The crossbows for the archers.
And we can tell from different weapons
and how they mix together,
the flexible battle tactic they use.
You have all these archers, or crossbowmen,
in front of the military formation.
And they released arrows to the enemy before they come very close.
And then the crossbowmen moved to the back.
The infantry will have close combat with the enemy.
So that's a special tactic in the Qin dynasty.
- [dramatic music playing] - [distant rumbling]
[horse whinnying]
- [in Mandarin] Prepare the attack. - Prepare the attack!
- Put out the fires! Get in line! - Put out the fires!
Move it!
Send the horses to scatter them.
We'll cut them down as they flee.
Attack!
- [horses whinnying] - [warriors shouting]
[narrator, in English] A convict army armed with digging tools...
[General shouts in Mandarin]
...would have been lambs to the slaughter.
- [horses whinnying] - [dramatic music continues]
[in Mandarin] Hold!
[narrator, in English] But fighting for Qin gave them access
to some of the finest weapons in the ancient world.
And commanders who knew only victory.
[warriors shouting]
[in Mandarin] Hold your positions!
Hold your positions!
[rumbling]
Now! Attack!
[men shouting]
- [rumbling] - [warriors shouting]
[shouts in Mandarin]
[weapons whistling, thudding]
[men shouting]
- [shouting] - [rumbling]
[whooshing]
[horses whinnying]
[narrator, in English] Qin weapons and tactics made the difference.
[shouting]
[distant shouting]
- [horses whinnying] - [men grunting]
[yelling]
[grunting]
[yelling, groaning]
[narrator] Against the odds, the convict army prevailed.
[distant shouting]
[narrator] The rebels were stopped in their tracks.
- [General grunts] - [narrator] And their leaders hunted down.
But a tide of rebellion had begun.
And work on the tomb was abandoned.
[poignant music playing]
[Hui] After the convicts left,
there's no further mention of the emperor's tomb complex
in this historical record.
No one knows what happened to it after that.
[narrator] The giant mound built to protect the emperor's tomb
appears to have done its job.
There is no evidence anyone has ever broken inside.
But for the rest of the emperor's mausoleum,
it was a different story.
[music fades]
Telltale signs of deliberate destruction
are being examined in the restoration unit.
Another Qin masterpiece,
the larger-than-life statue of an acrobat, is being pieced back together.
[indistinct chatter]
[narrator] The signs of violence are clear.
[tense music playing]
[in Mandarin] This is very interesting.
It has marks showing it has been cut and smashed.
When we excavated this pit, the whole site was found to be severely damaged.
[narrator, in English] A survey of the Acrobat's Pit
where the statue was buried
revealed a patch of red earth.
The fire that destroyed them
was so intense that it melted a bronze cauldron at the bottom of the pit
into a flat plate.
[in Mandarin] During our work, many pits were discovered
due to the important clue of red, burnt soil,
including the Pit of Bronze Birds
and the Acrobat Pit.
[camera bleeps and clicks]
[Zhu] If we put these burnings together,
and consider it as a whole...
[camera clicks]
...it can't have been done by a few dozen people.
It would have taken hundreds, or even thousands of people, to do this damage.
But who did it?
- [birds chirping] - [intriguing music playing]
[narrator] At the Warrior's Tomb,
Jiang Wenxiao's plans for the extraction of the coffin
have received the go-ahead.
[in Mandarin] Just over here.
[narrator, in English] But given how risky the move will be,
the team want to take samples from some of the exposed bones first.
[Chen, in Mandarin] It's not easy to walk in this suit.
[Jiang] Be careful.
[narrator, in English] The samples may also help establish the warrior's age.
[Chen, in Mandarin] It's right here, look. Let's take this as a sample.
It's part of the skull.
The skull was not complete.
Only a small part was preserved.
We also found limb bones in poor condition.
This is the top of the femur.
Here is the hip bone.
Over there is shin bone.
So the head is here. The body is this side.
- [Jiang] The head is in the south. - [Chen] That's right.
[Jiang] And the feet are pointing north.
[Chen] Look at the top of the femur.
The bone was quite thick.
So it's more likely to be a male.
Let's take a sample of this.
We took a section of the femur.
[poignant music playing]
We want to find out if the tomb owner was a family member of the first emperor
or a high-ranking statesman who had no blood relationship.
[Hui, in English] If the mystery warrior was a high-ranking government official,
then we have to look at the possibility of him being one of the conspirators.
[narrator] After two years of bloodshed, Hu Hai's empire was crumbling.
And as it did, the conspirators turned on each other.
The chief minister was the first to die.
Sentenced to death by the emperor after being double-crossed by Zhao Gao.
[Sima Qian] The five punishments were prepared for Li Si.
And he was condemned to be cut in two at the waist.
[narrator] And once the chief minister was out of the way,
Zhao Gao set his sights on the emperor himself.
- [somber music playing] - [Hu Hai grunting]
[Hu Hai grunting and panting]
[in Mandarin] Your Majesty, I'm here to inform you
that your time as emperor is at an end.
[breathes heavily]
If I am no longer to be emperor,
tell Zhao Gao
all I ask is to be king of one county, and I won't stand in his way.
[Yan Yue] Zhao Gao will shortly install a new emperor.
We have no use for kings.
A marquis, then!
The hour for daydreams is long past.
[Hu Hai whimpers]
I ask for nothing then, but to live quietly as a commoner.
I have my orders.
And Your Majesty knows very well there can be no loose ends.
[music peaks, fades]
[Hu Hai gulping]
[narrator, in English] If the record is correct, we can be sure
that Emperor Hu Hai is not the occupant of the mystery tomb.
[Hu Hai choking]
[narrator] He was buried without ceremony in a commoner's grave.
All Zhao Gao's plotting, though, was about to come back to bite him.
He chose Hu Hai's replacement to be easy to control.
But the new emperor had his own ideas.
[in Mandarin] I put you on the throne. How dare you keep me waiting?
Who are you to disobey my orders?
Who?
Zhao Gao!
[narrator] So the first thing he did...
Who are you?
- [metallic swoosh] - [Zhao Gao grunts]
- [rasping] - [metallic rattling]
[narrator] ...was murder Zhao Gao.
[sputtering]
- [Zhao Gao chokes, stops] - [loud thud]
[narrator] There is no record of where he was buried.
[mechanical whirring]
[Chen, in Mandarin] Our preliminary evaluation
suggests that it should be a male.
But we would like to do a DNA test to find out more about him.
We have to take very small parts of the bones...
and send them away to be tested.
[intriguing music playing]
[Chen, in Mandarin] We also found a tooth.
It was the owner's premolar.
You can see the development of the tooth, and it has no enamel defects.
It indicates that, during their life, they had sufficient nutrition.
[assistant, in Mandarin] There is no dentin exposure,
so it should be a young person.
[Chen] Hm.
The age of this person must be between 18 and 22.
So he was a young man.
[narrator, in English] The evidence that the warrior died young
rules out the conspirators.
They were too old.
Revealing the age makes it more likely that he may have been a prince.
And the detail in the Shiji concerning one prince in particular
casts new light on everything found at the warrior's tomb.
[Hui] In the early days of the conspiracy
when Hu Hai was murdering his brothers and sisters,
one of them, Prince Gao, made a bold decision.
[rapid banging]
[suspenseful music playing]
[banging continues]
[mechanical clicking]
[in Mandarin] You must flee, Your Highness.
Take your family and leave.
[sighs quietly]
[Sima Qian, in English] Prince Gao wished to flee.
But fearing his family would be arrested and exterminated,
instead, he delivered a letter for the second emperor.
[suspenseful music playing]
[in Mandarin] I should have followed the former emperor in death.
But I failed to do so.
As a son, I have been disloyal.
As a subject, I have been disloyal.
And one who acts disloyally wins no fame in this world.
I ask leave to follow the former emperor in death.
My only request is to be buried in the mausoleum at the foot of Mount Li.
I can but hope that the emperor will take pity and grant my request.
I will pass on your request to the emperor
and bid him give this matter his full attention at his earliest convenience.
[narrator, in English] Prince Gao offered to kill himself
to save his family from suffering the same fate as his brothers and sisters.
[Guo] I think what Prince Gao did was a heroic and brave act.
And that is probably why the story attracted special attention from Sima Qian
and made its way into the Shiji.
[uneasy music playing]
[Guo] Sima Qian also tells us
that Hu Hai was delighted reading the letter from Prince Gao.
And not only did he agree to Prince Gao's request,
but he also awarded him with 100,000 bronze coins for his burial.
If Shiji is correct,
then we can assume
that Prince Gao is buried somewhere around the mausoleum site.
But so far, his tomb has not been identified.
[Hui] If we could prove that the mystery warrior was Prince Gao,
that would be a mind-blowing discovery.
[Jiang, in Mandarin] Given the tomb owner was young,
it's certainly possible that it might be Prince Gao.
But we can't say that for sure based on this.
So we need to get it safely to the lab to complete our work.
[purposeful music playing]
[chains rattling]
[wheel squeaking]
[workman 1, in Mandarin] It's safe. Go. Go, it's safe. Go.
[speaking in Mandarin]
We must get it done within an hour.
[workman 1] Pull.
[indistinct chatter]
[animated chatter]
[workman 1] Stop pulling. Stop!
The wheels are stuck now.
The steel track is bent, but it's going to be okay.
[indistinct chatter]
[animated chatter]
[workman 1] Go on. Go on. Go on.
[tense music playing]
[animated chatter]
- [workman 2] Is it raining outside? - [workman 3] It's raining!
[workman 2] Get the plastic to cover it!
- [speaking Mandarin] - [rain pattering]
[workman 2] Stop pulling. Stop!
[tense music continues]
- [fireworks whistling] - [rapid blasts]
- [indistinct chatter] - [motor running]
[in Mandarin] How do I feel? I feel very happy indeed.
We have completed such a big project.
We hope that we can find a seal or similar artifacts
that can prove the identity of the tomb owner conclusively.
We have a lot of faith in it.
It's done.
[Hui, in English] All these stories that are circulating for over 2,000 years,
now that we have such findings...
[hooves clopping]
[Hui] ...it will prove that all these figures were true.
Like Zhao Gao, like Hu Hai,
were real people, not characters in a legend, or just a story.
All of these figures will have existed in history.
[narrator] Now, 50 years on
from the discovery of the first terracotta warrior,
conclusive evidence of systematic destruction
has been found all over the site.
[indistinct chatter]
[Fu in Mandarin] See the red soil?
I think this building was destroyed by a fire soon after it was built.
Across the whole Qin mausoleum, there are traces of burning.
We are not sure when the traces were left.
But what we can confirm is that the damage in the warrior pits happened early,
before the wood there had decayed.
[Zhu in Mandarin] That's wood charcoal.
[Fu] When we excavated the east gate, the situation was the same.
- [woman] It's been burned. - [Fu] Yes, exactly.
And on these buildings, we found the same traces of burning too.
So all this destruction seems to have happened
at around the same time in the late Qin dynasty.
[suspenseful music playing]
[narrator, in English] When the fall of Qin came,
it came violently
at the hands of a rebel general
who led his army to the capital and beheaded Hu Hai's successor.
[dramatic music playing]
[Sima Qian] The rebel armies butchered the capital,
and the fires burned for three months.
[narrator] There is no written proof that the rebel army
destroyed the first emperor's mausoleum.
But being close to the capital, it would have been a prime target.
[Zhu, in Mandarin] In my opinion, the theft,
destruction, and burning down of the mausoleum
should be attributed to this rebel army.
[fire crackles]
[Zhu] They had the numbers and the power, and they had opportunity and time.
It's likely some of the soldiers
had been convicts forced to work on the construction.
So they would have remembered where things were buried.
[man, in Mandarin] Hey, they're down here!
[Zhu] It was revenge.
- [tense music playing] - [fire crackling]
[music intensifies]
[flames whooshing]
[tense music continues]
- [music fades] - [crickets chirping]
[Sima Qian, in English] When all under heaven had been settled,
the house of Qin fell because they ruled without humanity or righteousness.
[poignant music playing]
[Guo] I think the Qins' cruel way of mobilizing
and punishing the population
led to the destruction of the mausoleum.
But the high level of artistic creativity did not grow from this cruelty.
It grew out of the fusion of different cultural elements
from various parts of what we call China today.
[poignant music continues]
[Guo] The first emperor's vision of a unified China survived.
It survived the fall of the Qin dynasty.
And it is still very much alive today.
[Hui] I think, in the end, the warriors were destroyed
due to the harsh conditions that they were created in.
But they also show us what human beings were capable of doing 2,200 years ago.
To me, even after all this time,
the warriors are a reminder of the magnificence of the human spirit.
And they still have the power to take our breath away.
[emotional music playing]
[Lan in Mandarin] This is his footboard.
[Yuan, in Mandarin] My whole life has been dedicated to archaeology.
It's been 48 or 49 years now.
Making the warriors known to the world
was a task that fell on our shoulders.
It was an honor for us.
[emotional music continues]
[Yuan] The warriors are my dearest friends.
When they are loved by people all over the world,
it makes me very happy.
It was difficult at times,
but in the greatest hardship, we find the greatest joy.
Just as flowers watered by perspiration are the most beautiful...
the terracotta warriors
gave us the greatest happiness.
[emotional music continues]
[music softens]
[music fades]
[dramatic music playing]
兩千皕年前,歷來首位皇帝秦始皇
有史以來第一次 征服全部六個中華王國
建立中國
為了保護他的帝國 他建造第一座長城
並下令建造古往今來最壯觀的陵墓
以在他死後安置他的靈魂
然而,在他死後 秦朝在混亂與內戰中崩潰
他的宏偉陵墓的所在地 也就消失於歷史之中
我記得那是比較熱的季節
(一九七四年)
(中國,陝西省)
農民在挖井時發現一些不明東西
當時他們就找我到西安來考察
今天成果如何?千萬別遺漏任何東西
我第一次見到它時非常激動
現在看起來,那衹是冰山一角
這支龐大的陶土大軍 被埋藏在陵墓裡兩千多年後
慢慢被發掘出來
這令人驚奇 該陵墓佔地卌九點二平方公里
裡面放有幾千座這種兵馬俑
這些雕像各不相同,共有約八千座
全都是在這個國家 首位皇帝的葬身之地被發掘出土
這現在被稱為世界第八大奇蹟
《兵馬俑揭秘》
我記得小時候第一次前往發掘現場
面對面看著那八千座兵俑
(秦史學家 許明德博士)
全都五官分明
此事本身就已經令人嘆為觀止
八千座兵俑 被埋葬在建立中國的人旁邊
那無疑是古往今來最重要的考古發現
但眞正令人驚奇的
是那八千座兵俑在守護更重要的東西
始皇帝的陵墓
這是個人墳墓建築群
六十平方公里,那相當於曼哈頓的大小
這一切皆為一個人而建造 想到這一點,實在令人驚訝
秦始皇死後
被埋葬在墓址中央 巨大土堆下方的墳墓裡
自從於五十年前意外發現那些兵俑以來
考古學家已把無數發現挖掘出土
但墓地規模之龐大
意味著他們遠遠未能 把一切全部發掘出來
皇帝的陵園是模仿秦朝都城的建築
土堆周圍有另外兩層巨大的城牆
還有覆蓋數千萬平方米的建築物基礎
埋在這地方的東西太多了
所有的發現都如此精彩
如此寫實
這些發現絕對是獨一無二
我們找到能侍奉他的陶土僕人
我們找到能娛樂他的陶土雜技演員
陶土雙輪馬車、馬匹
這一切加起來,組成一個陶土世界
一個為讓皇帝永恆掌權而建造的世界
但一個有能力 創造如此非凡之物的王朝
何以如此迅速衰亡?
對考古學家而言
第一條線索是寶藏被發現時的狀況
(資深考古學家 李秀珍博士)
我想人們會覺得
當我們挖掘時 所有這些兵馬俑就站立在那裡
但事實並非如此
這些兵馬俑全都被打破成碎片
無一倖免
在這個已經躋身 世界最大之列的考古遺址上
有一支由考古學家
鑑識科學家
與修復師組成的新大軍 而秀珍正是其中一員
他們團結一致 試圖釐清一眾兵俑確切經歷過何事
手露出來了
頭部應該在這裡 你看這也已經露出來了
做這部份時你要註意
表面褶皺比較多...
(挖掘隊隊長 朱思宏)
...這樣往往能保留一些色彩
這部份實在引人入勝
因為你能看到兵俑們眞的各有個性
這個可以
每一張臉 都讓你認識到新一個秦朝人物
它是在微笑吧
在修復組那邊
皇帝軍隊裡的眞人大小兵俑
正被逐一拼湊起來
七、八、九、十、十一
(修復組組長 蘭德省)
大的殘斷面有卅六塊
如果把盔甲、甲釘這些小殘片算進去
一座兵馬俑總共有接近四百塊
殘片很多
我時常想,我就是文物醫生
陪伴它們,為它們治病 直到最後它們復活
總體來說,這一件相對比較完整
唯獨缺少下方的踏板
踏板清理完畢後 基本上我們就能開始修復這個殘俑
最終目標是讓它站立起來
讓它重回所在的部隊
重新組裝一座雕像 需時也許長達三年
我們知道兵俑被埋葬時都完好無損
但從那時到現在之間的某個時間點 它們每一個都被砸碎
這是其中一個向我們指示 秦朝滅亡原因的最大謎團
那麼到底發生了何事?
在兵俑被埋葬的坑裡
考古學家正試圖透過鑒識取證
檢查每塊證據碎片,以尋找答案
人們的臆測眾多
盜墓賊、蓄意破壞、自然崩塌
但誰也無法確定
我們能確定的是曾有大事發生
當你投入這項工作時 有時候會忘記了一切
我們的眼睛在蒐索
設法辨認這些 與我們以前所見過的有何不同
這塊有顏色的土壤是濕的
那是紅燒土
- 紅燒土? - 嗯
這是木炭
是火燒過的
衹有火燒得很旺,而且時間很長
才會產生紅燒土
破碎的陶片是由崩塌造成
但這是人為的破壞
我們知道兵馬俑曾被火燒
是誰燒的?
這就是問題所在
這不衹是古老的世界奇蹟
從某種意義上說 這也是巨大的犯罪現場
在發現陵墓與兵俑之前
幾乎所有關於秦朝的認知
都來自一份歷史記錄
一份擁有兩千年歷史 並備受尊崇的文本,名為《史記》
《史記》是首部主要中國歷史
主要作者是司馬遷
(秦史學家 郭津嵩博士)
當中載有關於 始皇帝生與死的詳細記錄
在他統治的第廿六年
始皇帝統一天下
《史記》講述始皇帝的故事 他是秦國的武士
(趙 燕 魏 齊 韓 秦 楚)
這位皇帝征服六國
有史以來首度統一中國 把國土完全納入其掌控之下
(秦)
他賦予這個國家“中國”的名號
(中國)
但根據記錄
這個本來註定
歷經千秋萬代的偉大王朝
卻衹持續了十五年就崩潰消亡
《史記》其中一個特別之處 在於其寫作方式
它結合歷史和史詩式的戲劇性
關於某些部份 我們傾向懷疑事情是否曾經發生
我們並無其他發現 能證實當中的某些說法
但最大的問題是,有多少內容屬實?
這就是挖掘如此刺激的原因
兩千年來的第一次
我們有機會釐清 司馬遷筆下的事情是否正確
(東門挖掘隊隊長 傅建)
我們來量一下石頭的長度和寬度
在墓址的東側
考古學家發現一道巨門的地基
他們相信那曾是陵墓的正門入口
- 長度? - 一百公分
寬度是九十五公分
- 九十五? - 對
柱洞呢?
十點六公分
這是目前在中國發現的最寬的門道
在秦始皇稱帝後,墓址範圍不斷擴大
秦陵的營建是國家工程
集一國之力做一件事情
(工人村 皇帝駕崩前一年)
始皇帝的陵墓 早在他十三歲時就開始動工
慢點
抬起
到他征服全中國時
他就掌握了所需的龐大資源
以建造地球上最宏大的墳墓建築群
秀珍在儲藏庫裡仔細檢查
那些被迫建造墳墓者 遭殘暴對待的證據
我們可以從殘留的史料得知
那時候在此工作
建造這陵墓建築群的人 日子過得有多艱難
你能看到這件比較大
不像是套在腿上 所以這其實是套在某人的脖子上
當始皇帝統一帝國時
超過七十萬名囚犯 被送到驪山為他興建陵墓
始皇帝以武力動員人民
跟上
他盡可能把更多人定罪
快點!
跟上
迫使他們加入 為他的工程而苦幹的勞動力
秦法典很詳細也很嚴厲
一旦你與罪犯扯上關係 你也會被定罪
如果你倒霉得遭遇這種事
等待著你的將是極端殘酷的事情
我們在陵墓建築群裡 發現很多這種鐵鐐銬
司馬遷在《史記》中 提及大批囚犯來到此地
還有其他地位的人或工匠
但這些尤其能讓我們得知 當中牽涉的囚犯很多
受苦的人也很多
看什麼看?走!
這個繫緊了沒有?
鄰近城鎮的作坊
被組織成規模龐大的陶土生產線
涉及從帝國各地徵召而來的工匠
眉毛可以往上一點,眼睛是關鍵
這是有史以來第一次 有來自中華七國的工匠
共同為一項工程而努力
此事帶來的結果
是前所未見之物的誕生
法令紋註意一下
一個文明在兩千年多前以如此規模
製造出如此細緻的東西
此事向我們展示 一種水準非凡的先進精密
我已從事修復工作廿五年
很少遇到這種比較完好的彩繪俑
這是我們最新出土的一件彩繪俑頭部
屬於這個高級軍令俑
兵馬俑在製作之初都帶有顏色
但經過兩千多年來在地底下的擠壓
以及土壤的運動
它們出土時 表面的顏色基本上都已經脫落
但這一件被壓在最底下,未被擾動
因此有幸保存下來
從它們的眼神和面部表情中
能依稀看到它們富有生命
它們是秦代人的一種化身 也是秦代軍隊的一種縮影
我認為這些逼眞的面孔
是以當時來自中國各地的
眞人為原型
這意念很可能來自皇帝本人
因為這是非常生動有力的像徵
呈現他所取得的功績
是統一不同種族人民的美妙像徵
是這史上首個大一統帝國的美妙像徵
如果我們沒有始皇帝
中國各國有可能會繼續分裂
就像今天分裂的歐洲一樣
因此,當我們看著兵俑
我認為要在世界歷史與全球歷史的 背景下看它們,這眞的很重要
因為你能看到中國 如何變得不一樣,甚至變得獨特
皇帝不惜成本,不擇手段
為死後生活作準備
但他未能為 他在地球上的繼承事宜作準備
他拒絕宣佈其王國繼承者的人選
一個人手中掌握過多權力的危險
即將使他建立的一切 使整個秦朝世界變得翻天覆地
《史記》告訴我們
始皇帝在帝國東部出巡時病倒
到了農曆七月,始皇帝抵達沙丘
無人敢提及死亡的問題
《史記》記載的故事
說道與皇帝一起踏上 決定性的最後一次出巡之旅的人當中
包括三個將於秦朝的未來
扮演關鍵角色的人
李斯是皇帝的左右手 他當時擔任丞相一職
(秦朝丞相 李斯)
帝國發生的一切,無一不經過他批准
快
趙高來自不光彩的家庭
他努力向上爬 成為皇帝最親近的僕人
(大宦官 趙高)
你!
去找李斯!
你!
去找胡亥!
關鍵的是,趙高是傳國玉璽的守護者
皇帝發出的所有命令 都必須用到此物
最後是皇帝的幼子,公子胡亥
由於胡亥年紀最小
因此他的繼位順序大概並不高
但他是唯一陪伴皇帝出巡的兒子
(皇帝的幼子 公子胡亥)
老師
皇帝駕崩
衹留下賜給長子的這封遺詔
令其長子繼位
如果這封遺詔落在扶蘇手中
他就將繼承二世皇帝之位
而你最後連一片封地都繼承不到
你將作何打算?
這還有什麼可說的!
父皇臨終前下的令 我們還能做些什麼?
叫丞相秘不發喪
以便你能登基即位
我不想聽這些
此時此刻,能決定下一任皇帝人選的
衹有你、我和丞相
此時我怎能向丞相請教這種問題?
就讓我替你跟丞相商量此事
在說服公子之後
趙高成功說服丞相參與這項陰謀
他們一起摧毀皇帝任命胡亥的長兄
擔任皇帝繼承人的遺詔
將其換成虛假詔書
對正統繼承人說他觸怒了其父親
唯一彌補的方法,是他立刻自殺
事已至此
接下來衹能聽天由命
是時候了
為了讓他們的陰謀得逞
這些共謀者 在等待他們的詔書產生效果的同時
必須將皇帝的死訊保密
停
快!快點!
於是,地球上最有權勢者的遺體
被塞進他的旅行馬車裡
他的屍體在中國的酷熱夏日裡 被馬車載著到處去
直到正統繼承人被共謀者騙過之日
走!
隨著時間流逝,死去的皇帝變成累贅
共謀者不顧一切採取極端措施
皇帝的馬車在炎熱的天氣下開始發臭
為了掩蓋氣味 共謀者用一車車的魚把馬車包圍起來
出乎意料地,那封詔書竟然奏效
正統繼承人自行了斷
於是共謀者得以回到京城
宣佈皇帝駕崩
並帶著另一封 立胡亥為繼位人的偽造遺詔
胡亥被立為二世皇帝
但共謀者害怕帝國不會輕易順從
我們從記錄中得知 當皇帝的死訊終於公佈時
他們會一起出現在同一個活動中
到了農曆九月,始皇帝落葬於驪山
四海之內的所有人都前來弔唁
皇帝的葬禮 應該是自他成年以來一直興建的
龐大墳墓建築群的最重要時刻
但那項陰謀改變了此事的意義
處於最觸目的中心位置的 是二世皇帝胡亥
他堅持申明其統治權
在背後支持他的 是把他推上皇位的兩名共謀者
胡亥的兄長們 想必知道繼位安排已有定案
他突然越過他們登位 不衹是關乎個人的冒犯行為
現在他們是對君權的潛在威脅
不能被允許存活的威脅
關於葬禮後開展的恐怖事情的證據
在這遺址出土
在皇陵內城的東北角落有一片墓地
大約有一百多座墳墓
在已經發掘的十座裡面
有一座遭完全破壞
但其餘九座裡面有人骨
那是一堆堆散亂的人骨
無法辨別哪一具是完整的獨立個體
相當於被肢解一樣
我們還在淤土下發現珍珠
對我們來說,這是發掘的意外収穫
當中有些珍珠還有鍍金的痕跡
它是高檔奢侈品,非一般人所能擁有
根據這項勘探發現
我們認為這應該是 秦始皇後宮妃嬪之墓
最先感受到新君權的怒氣者
是皇室後宮那些不幸的年輕女性
她們成為目標的原因 不太能從史料中清楚辨明
但在陰謀的背景下
我們可以找到一個可能的合理解釋
部份妃嬪
在始皇帝駕崩時 很可能也在出巡隊伍之中...
並可能曾目睹
圍繞著皇帝之死的怪異事情
也許胡亥認為這些妃嬪知道得太多
這裡有很多肢骨
(法醫人類學家 陳亮教授)
這些女性比較纖細
身高也不特別高
他們好像都選擇一點五米到一點六米高的人
體重也控制在某個範圍之內
《史記》記載她們都是被賜死
但沒有具體說明死法
在始皇帝的葬禮上 二世皇帝下達命令
在前朝的後宮女性中
沒有兒子者被送到別處並不恰當
於是所有人都被下令陪伴死去的皇帝
導致許多女性死亡
你看這個洞是否砸開的? 或者怎麼樣的?
不像,這不齊整
她們可能是先被處死,然後再被肢解
或者是以肢解的方式遭處死
如果他們是用青銅或鐵製兵器 砍出來的刀刃會很齊整
這種裂縫肯定是死後才造成
這就跟她的死因沒有關係了
如果說她們是在死後被肢解
那一定會在關節處 比較容易肢解的位置
有專門的人做這工作
- 看那種散亂,肯定是被肢解 - 對
但死後屍體肯定是完整的
這些後宮妃嬪具體是如何死去 現在我們還說不上來
但這些女子是非正常死亡
不論死法如何,都很殘忍
妃嬪遭施加的殘暴行為衹是個開端
關於共謀者下一步行動的 令人不寒而慄的證據
在遺址的偏遠角落被袁仲一發現
我們在鑽探的過程中
發現了很多陪葬坑
墓裡埋藏的人看起來是被殺的
被肢解的
年紀都不大
上焦村那個墓葬
我們發現十七座墓葬
後來挖掘了八座
依我看,最年輕的一個衹有十八歲
最大的是卅歲
是誰殺的?
現在不知道
基於墳墓裡的個人印章 屍體的身份得以獲確認
傳統上,這些印章 會與地位崇高者的遺體一併下葬
它們看起來像是秦始皇兒女的墓葬
(公子將閭之宮殿)
葬禮一結束
共謀者就將註意力 轉移到胡亥的每個潛在競爭對手身上
公子將閭 趙高奉命捉拿你和你的兄弟
誰下的令?
不忠於皇上?
荒唐!
我要見皇兄
皇帝很清楚地向我傳達了旨意
“毋庸置疑”
眞正的恐怖才剛剛開始
法令制訂得嚴苛,刑罰嚴酷
屍體在集市上堆積如山
我必須見殿下
(公子高之宮殿)
殿下
有何消息?
先帝任命的群臣都已被殺害
他們太快了
還有更駭人的消息
昨日在咸陽的集市上
十二位公子被斬首示眾
還有公主們...
被施以車裂之刑
請殿下抓緊時間,攜同家眷逃離咸陽
殿下
公子高和整個皇室的難題
是他們無處可逃
我是清白的
那些倖免於公開處決的人 衹獲給予一條出路
我是清白的!
到了胡亥元年年底
根據記錄 他的大多數兄弟姊妹都已死亡
遺址歷來最重大的發現之一
也許是證明這並非傳說 而是事實的關鍵
在遺址西邊,靠近皇帝墓塚處
正進行大規模挖掘工作
有一系列巨大墳墓被發現
以前從不曾有人嘗試打開它們
這通常是被禁止的
但雨水破壞的威脅 導致一個特殊的決定
就是挖掘其中一座墳墓
挖掘這座墳墓的機會前所未有
所以這就是唯一的機會
(挖掘隊隊長 蔣文孝)
我每次下去,還是感到震撼
修整得這麼整齊的一個墓葬
這麼深,規模又這麼大!
古墓大部份都已被盜
對於找到棺槨 我們其實不抱多大希望
結果中心部份確實並未被盜
太震驚了!
棺槨嚴重腐朽,但墓主仍在其中
墓裡出土了很多兵器 有鎧甲、弩機和戈
這座墳墓之所以如此令人興奮
是因為這是一個眞正的秦朝武士
我們已經找到幾千個兵馬俑
但我們之前沒有機會 發掘眞正的秦代武士
而且這裡相當接近始皇帝的墓塚
那麼他是誰?
無論此人是何方神聖
他顯然是對皇帝而言 很重要亦很親近的人
如果我們能辨認他的身份
這可能會成為我們 了解皇帝死後發生之事的關鍵
秀珍被找來
參與研究 與棺槨一起被發現的驚人器物
看看它們能否幫助揭露 更多關於墓主身份的資訊
這塊是玉璧,外面有一個邊框
細的一個
- 是外圍吧 - 對,然後是中間這塊
你看它的整體,是幾何形紋
玉璧是劍鞘上的裝飾品
一號墓的陪葬品實在引人入勝
有些物品是我們前所未見
例如金駱駝和舞者塑像
這當中就反映出
墓主的身份可能更高貴
這個裝飾性很強
這些是相當奇特的物品
那是首次在 陵墓建築群中發現這些物品
問題是我們能否確定年代
拿出來看一下裡面這一枚
這個應該屬於戰國晚期
對
不會是晚到漢代
那一定是在這之前
我們發現的這些錢幣被稱為“半兩”
這種錢幣,觀其大小和文字
肯定是來自秦朝晚期的秦國錢幣
這些錢幣清楚證明
墓主是秦代社會最富有的人之一
他們推算埋葬的年代為秦朝末期
共出土了多少件?
- 大概五、六千件 - 五、六千件嗎?
在這座墳墓裡找到六千枚錢幣 這很不尋常
實在是一大筆財富
看一下這弩機
這個比兵馬俑坑出土的那些小
並且帶郭
帶郭的弩機在當時很特別
這種弩機來自秦朝晚期
那就將這座墓葬 置於相當有限的時間段之中
大概是在皇帝死後
到秦朝滅亡之前
那就是三、四年間
在這段時間裡,有誰能與
秦始皇合葬?
還有,為什麼?
縮窄時間段 把可能葬在墓裡的人選名單縮短
如果神秘武士被埋葬之時
是介乎皇帝駕崩與秦朝滅亡之間
那麼可能人選的名單就很短
秦始皇死後,公子們都沒有好下場
所以關於墓主的身份 我們更傾向認為是
重臣或將軍
如果考古學家在棺槨裡找到個人印章
就能明確證實墓主的身份
但棺槨的狀況意味著這可能需時多年
一開始,我們計劃 直接在現場清理棺槨
小心那木頭
但這裡面的冬夏溫差很大
由於這些黃金、玉石和寶石碎塊
暴露在自然環境之中
因此他們必須迅速行動
如果我們在現場清理它
溫度與濕度的劇烈變化
可能會對清理出來的遺跡遺物 帶來很大影響
所以我們想把它打包起來 帶到室內慢慢仔細分析
看看柱子上的東西,烏黑一塊
需要用作保護的東西
計劃涉及把棺槨
連同包圍它的大量泥土包裝好
再把這些東西整個搬進實驗室
極端的重量導致取出棺槨的風險極大
從來不曾有人嘗試過做這種事
把鋼板這樣一塊塊穿進去
從那邊穿或從這邊穿都可以
一邊穿過去
我們在墓道鋪上軌道
並用五十到一百噸的弔車把它拉上來
關鍵問題是這個地方不平整 坑坑窪窪的,難以裝載
在考古學意義上,那是巨大挑戰
當然這些我們都會解決
在皇帝墓塚附近 傅建的調查正逐漸逼近
關於曾矗立於此的建築物 所遭遇的事情的答案
我覺得這本是個闕 它是怎麼被破壞的
這是我關註的重點
如果兵俑所受到的損害延伸到此處
那就會意味著這不僅是盜墓行為
那會指向截然不同的解釋
這是剛才找到的瓦片
其中一塊帶有文字
好像是“水”之類的
是“左水”
這個“左水”應該是秦朝的一個機構
它可能是闕的一部份
在兵馬俑一號坑和二號坑
人為破壞相當明顯
但沒有直接證據 證明那全是同一時間造成
兵馬俑坑的火災 有可能是古代強盜造成
但如果烈火 同時焚燒離墳墓這麼近的此處
那就是有計劃刻意破壞的證據
始皇帝死後
囚犯依然在那裡工作 在墳墓上方建造巨大土堆
但在始皇帝駕崩後差不多剛好一年
一場重大起義在帝國東部爆發
這將對陵墓的興建帶來重大影響
到有人鼓起勇氣告訴皇帝出現問題時
情況已經失控
平身吧
據說由卅萬人組成的叛軍 正朝著京城進發
那就立即召集 附近縣裡的軍隊去擊敗他們
皇上,盜賊已逼近,人多勢眾
現在召集兵馬已經來不及
你是說我們束手無策?
啞了嗎?
皇上,驪山有許多刑徒
臣建議皇上立刻釋放他們,授以兵器
以迎擊盜賊
那就這樣做
以後這種事,別再來煩朕
奉二世皇帝之命
凡年滿十五週歲,須拿起武器前赴戰場
為什麼要打仗? 這場戰爭和我們有什麼關係?
- 你說什麼? - 慢著!
凡是為皇帝而戰的犯人都可獲得大赦
胡亥那未經訓練的囚犯大軍
遠遠不如他父親藉以征服中國的
那支令人聞風喪膽且紀律嚴明的軍隊
看看這邊有沒有銘文
秀珍正在檢查
在坑中與兵馬俑 一起被發現的武器眞品
當我們看到 任何來自陵墓建築群的物品
它們背後都有了不起的故事
看得見吧,就是這個位置
銘文刻劃得相當清楚
兵馬俑配備大量銅製兵器
步兵的長矛或戟
弓箭手的弩
我們能從不同的武器
以及它們混合搭配的方式得知
他們採用的靈活戰術
軍陣前方滿是弓箭手
或者弩手
他們在敵人逼近之前向其發射箭矢
然後弩手移到後方
步兵將與敵人短兵相接
那是秦朝的特殊戰術
- 下令 - 弓箭,預備!
- 滅火!保持陣型! - 滅火!
快!
先派騎兵衝散這些囚徒
等他們逃跑時,我們就追殺
進攻!
拿著挖掘工具當武器的囚犯大軍
會如同待宰羔羊
保持陣型!
但為秦而戰
讓他們能接觸到 一些古代世界最精良的武器
還有衹知道勝利為何物的將領
保持陣型!
走!
秦國的兵器與戰術決定了成敗
囚犯軍隊出乎意料地佔了上風
叛軍被阻擋下來
他們的領袖遭到追捕
但叛亂的浪潮已然開始
而墳墓的建設工程亦被終止
在囚犯離開之後
這份歷史記錄就再無提及
皇帝的墳墓建築群
無人知道墳墓之後發生了何事
為保護皇帝之墓而建的巨大土堆
似乎成功達成任務
沒有證據表明曾有人闖入
但對於皇帝陵墓的其餘部份
那就是另一回事
修復組正在審視
蓄意破壞的明顯跡像
另一秦朝代傑作
非同凡響的雜技演員雕像 正被拼湊起來
暴力的跡像顯然易見
(資深修復師 馬宇)
你看,這個很有意思
有燒的痕跡和砸的痕跡
在這個坑的發掘過程中 我們發現它的破壞很嚴重
針對埋藏雕像的百戲俑坑的勘測
揭露了一塊紅土
摧毀它們的大火
猛烈得使坑底的一個銅鼎
熔化成平板
在考古工作中,很多葬坑的發現
就是因為紅燒土這條重要線索
包括青銅水禽坑
還有百戲俑坑
要是我們把所有這些焚燒現像
併合起來看待
就會知道這不是幾個人 甚至幾十個人能造成的
這應該是幾百、幾千 甚至上萬人造成的大規模破壞
但那是誰幹的?
在武士的陵墓
蔣文孝取出棺槨的計劃
已經獲得批准
陳教授,看那邊
但考慮到這一舉動的風險很大
團隊想先從外露的骨頭中採集樣本
- 穿著這衣服走路不容易 - 小心
樣本也可能有助確定武士的年齡
就在這個位置,採一塊這個吧
是頭骨的殘片
頭骨並不完整
保留下來的很少
此外,我們發現肢骨也保存得不好
你看這是他的股骨頭
這是他的股骨
下邊是脛骨
說明頭在這裡,身體在這裡
- 頭在南邊 - 對
腳朝著北方
比如說這個股骨頭
骨壁比較厚一些
所以他比較可能是男性
我們採集這一段吧
我們採集了他的一段股骨
我們希望弄清楚 墓主是秦始皇的親人或兒女
還是跟他沒有血緣關係的重臣
如果神秘武士曾是政府高官
那我們就得審視 他是共謀者之一的可能性
經過兩年的腥風血雨 胡亥的帝國正在崩潰
與此同時,共謀者彼此反目
丞相是第一個死去的人
他遭趙高矇騙出賣 然後被皇帝判處死刑
他們為李斯準備五刑
他遭施以腰斬之刑
一等除掉丞相
趙高就盯上皇帝本人
陛下,我今天來這裡 是要通知你,你的終點到了
要我放棄皇位也可以
你去向丞相轉達
我衹求當一個郡的王 不會再干涉丞相的事
丞相馬上就會立新皇帝
我們不需要你了
那封侯呢?
這白日夢該醒了
那我什麼都不要 我衹想跟妻兒當黔首
我有命令在身
陛下比誰都清楚,凡事就怕萬一
如果記錄無誤
我們可以肯定 胡亥皇帝並非佔用神秘墳墓的人
他被隨意埋葬在平民的墳墓裡
然而,趙高的一切陰謀 正要為他帶來報應
他選擇容易控制的人取代胡亥
但新皇帝有自己的想法
我扶你登上王位,你竟敢讓我乾等?
是誰教唆你違背我的指令?
誰?
趙高!
所以他做的第一件事...
你是何人?
...就是殺害趙高
並無任何記錄顯示他的葬身之地
根據初步研判 我們判斷這應該是男性
所以我們想做脫氧核糖核酸檢測 以確定他的身份
我們把它切割成小塊
送去做檢測
還有一顆牙齒
我們採集到墓主的一顆前臼齒
看這牙齒的發育程度 並沒有琺瑯質的缺損
這說明此人從早年到死亡 一直營養充足
這裡沒有牙本質暴露 所以應該是比較年輕的人
此人應該是十八到廿二歲
墓主是個很年輕的青年男性
武士英年早逝的證據 排除他是共謀者的可能性
他們年紀太大了
年齡的揭露 增加了他是一位公子的可能性
而在《史記》裡 關於某一位公子的細節
讓我們對在武士的陵墓裡發現的一切 有了新的認識
在陰謀進行的初期
當胡亥殺害他的兄弟姊妹時
他們之中的其中一人 也就是公子高,作出一項大膽的決定
請殿下抓緊時間,攜同家眷逃離咸陽
公子高希望遠走高飛
卻害怕他的家人會遭逮捕和屠殺
於是他向二世皇帝送遞一封信函
原本我應該跟隨先帝去赴死 但是我還活著
為人子,我不孝
為人臣,我不忠
一個不忠不孝之人 已無顏面在這個世上苟活
我請求追隨先帝而去
我唯一的要求,就是把我的遺體 葬在驪山腳下的陵墓裡
希望皇上憐憫,答應我這個請求
我會把你的請求稟告給皇上
請求皇上盡快處理此事
公子高提出自行了斷
以拯救家人免於遭受 和他的兄弟姊妹一樣的命運
我認為公子高所做的事 是英勇而高尚的行為
而這大概就是 此故事引起司馬遷特別關註
並被載入《史記》的原因
司馬遷亦告訴我們
胡亥讀到公子高的信函時很高興
他不僅答允公子高的請求
更賞賜他十萬銅錢,以作安葬他之用
如果《史記》所言屬實
那麼我們就能假定
公子高葬於陵墓所在地附近的某處
但到目前為止,他的墳墓尚未被尋獲
如果我們能證明 那個神秘武士就是公子高
那就會是個驚人的發現
既然墓主的年紀較輕
它當然就有可能是公子高的墓葬
但我們也不能就此確認
所以我們要把它安全地運進實驗室 把這項工作做完
安全,走
一個小時內一定要把這個搞定
拉
好,停!
輪子卡住了
鋼軌有點彎,但不會影響我們
走
外面下雨了嗎?
下雨了!
拿塑膠紙覆蓋一下!
好,停!
現在的心情嘛,肯定是很高興
這麼大的工程圓滿完成了
我們希望能在墓主旁邊 發現印章之類的
能夠印證墓主身份的資訊和文物
我們抱有很大信心
大功告成
關於所有這些已流傳兩千多年的故事
如今我們有了這些發現
就能證明這些人物全都是眞實的人
例如趙高、胡亥
都眞有其人 而非衹是傳說或虛構故事中的角色
所有這些人物都曾存在於歷史之中
現在距離發現第一座兵馬俑 已經過了五十年
顯示系統性破壞的確鑿證據
已在遺址各處被尋獲
那是紅土渣
它應該是在建好之後遭毀壞 過程中可能有火燒的痕跡
整個秦陵都有焚燒的痕跡
這種火燒痕跡是何時造成的 現在還不能確定
但可以肯定的是 最早的兵馬俑陪葬坑的破壞
發生在木頭尚未腐朽之時
這是木炭
外城東門挖掘時,情況其實也一樣
這是被火燒的
是
至於這些建築上 也有一些火燒的痕跡
這些破壞可能發生在
大概秦朝末年的同一時期
在秦滅亡之際
它猛然落入
一名叛軍將領手中
他率領軍隊進入京城 將胡亥的繼承人斬首
叛軍在京城裡大肆殺戮 大火焚燒了三個月
並無書面證據
表明叛軍曾破壞始皇帝的陵墓
但既然它離京城很近 就應該會是主要目標
我個人認為,兵馬俑坑裡面 被盜竊、破壞和焚毀的現像
責任應該歸於叛軍身上
他們有人力和力量,也有機會和時間
軍中有些人也許是
原本就曾在秦始皇陵服勞役
他們可能記得 大概在什麼地方埋藏過什麼
哎,下邊有東西!
所以這是他們的報復行動
當天下平定
秦室就滅亡 這是因為其統治不帶人性或公義
我認為秦氏 動員和懲罰人民的殘酷方式
導致陵墓被毀
但那種高水平藝術創意 並非源自這份殘酷
而是源自 今天我們稱為“中國”之地的各處
不同文化元素的融合
始皇帝的大一統中國願景存活了下來
縱然秦朝滅亡,它卻依然留存
至今仍然鮮活茁壯
我想,說到底,兵俑被摧毀
是因為它們在惡劣條件下被創造出來
但它們也向我們展示 人類在兩千皕年前能夠做到的事
對我而言,即使已歷經漫長歲月
這些兵俑依然提醒著我們 人類精神何其輝煌
它們依然能夠讓我們驚嘆不已
這是它的踏板
考古工作對我來說就是生活的主軸
到現在已經卌八、卌九年了
讓兵馬俑得見天日的責任
落在我們現代人身上
對我們來說,感覺是榮幸的事情
我與秦俑情深意切如手足
它們受到世上人民如此喜愛
我當然非常高興
考古工作很艱苦
但在苦中作樂,是最大的快樂
正如以汗水澆灌的鮮花最為美麗
看到以自己的辛勤勞動澆灌的兵馬俑
心裡最是高興
(迄今為止,在八千座兵馬俑中 衹有一千皕座已完成重新拼合)
(尋求證明神秘武士身份的任務仍在繼續進行)