In Brief: Oldest terracotta figurines found

August 15, 2006

Two terracotta figurines dating to 2,500 years ago may be the oldest terracotta figurines produced by China's Qin State circa 221 B.C.

Chinese archaeologists said the rough-hewn, 4-inch-tall statutes are older than the famous 8,000 terracotta warriors and horses buried with the first Chinese emperor Qinshihuang, Xinhua, China's official news agency, reported.

The two objects were found by farmers at the ruins of Yongcheng, an ancient Qin state capital, in northwest Shaanxi Province.

Researchers said the small terracotta figurines might have been used to decorate houses.

Rate this story - 3 /5 (7 votes)

rank
1
2
3
4
5

view popular

Other News

Living buildings could mop up carbon dioxide

Other Sciences / Other

51 minutes ago | not rated yet | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Architecture could help us tackle climate change, if we start to design our buildings with 'living' materials, according to Dr Rachel Armstrong, UCL Bartlett School of Architecture.

Message gone viral? Blame it on altruistic, yet image-conscious Internet 'e-mavens'

Other Sciences / Economics

22 hours ago | 3.5 / 5 (2) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Why do some online ad campaigns go viral while other online marketing messages gather "cyber-dust" on the information superhighway? The key may lie in the motivation of Internet users to email ...

The skyline of Tokyo in Japan, where scientists have criticised the new government for plans to slash research budgets

Japan scientists attack govt research cut plans

Other Sciences / Other

15 hours ago | 5 / 5 (2) | 0

Top Japanese scientists, including four Nobel laureates, have criticised the new government for plans to slash research budgets, warning the country will loose its high-tech edge.

Researcher: Faint writing seen on Shroud of Turin (AP)

Researcher: Faint writing seen on Shroud of Turin (Update)

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

Nov 20, 2009 | 2.3 / 5 (31) | 45

(AP) -- A Vatican researcher has rekindled the age-old debate over the Shroud of Turin, saying that faint writing on the linen proves it was the burial cloth of Jesus. Experts say the historian may be reading ...

Explained: The Discrete Fourier Transform

Other Sciences / Mathematics

Nov 25, 2009 | 4.3 / 5 (26) | 8

(PhysOrg.com) -- In 1811, Joseph Fourier, the 43-year-old prefect of the French district of Isčre, entered a competition in heat research sponsored by the French Academy of Sciences. The paper he submitted ...