[Ch’in Shih Huang-ti]. Ruler of the Qin state of China (from 246 bc) and first emperor (r. 221-210 bc) of the Qin dynasty. Qin Shi Huangdi completed the unification of China begun by earlier rulers of Qin; he standardized the legal code, weights and measures, currency, and script form throughout the country, and built the Great Wall to protect his empire against barbarian incursions. His tomb, marked by a tumulus in Lintong Xian, Shaanxi province, is the focal point of a vast mausoleum complex that includes a buried armv of life-sized terracotta figures discovered in 1974 and still under excavation. In the pits known thus far the figures of officers, infantry, charioteers, and cavalrymen and their horses are estimated to number about 7000 (see also chariot burials, China).
The Macmillan dictionary of archaeology, Ruth D. Whitehouse, 1983Copied