A Treasure-Laden Burial Chamber Found Hidden Among Terracotta Army

Qin Shi Huangdi, Emperor of China, is famous for his tomb, which is guarded by an army of 6,000 life-sized terracotta warriors.

Despite Qin Shi Huangdi's many achievements during his lifetime (259-210 BC), his main goal was to defeat death. He built a huge underground city, with an army in armour and with weapons to protect himself in the afterlife. This army consisted of life-sized terracotta soldiers, infantrymen, horses, chariots and all the necessary battle equipment.

Qin Shi Huangdi's tomb, the largest mausoleum in the world, covers an area of 22 square miles. Much of the area remains unexcavated due to seismic activity, environmental damage and possible looting. A 2010 excavation focusing on the tomb's foundations uncovered a huge palace consisting of 18 courtyard-style houses surrounding a central building. This palace, the size of a quarter of Beijing's Forbidden City, is believed to be its conceptual predecessor, designed for the emperor's afterlife residence.

Recently, a 16-tonne coffin filled with treasurewas discovered in one of the tombs, which could have belonged to Qin Shi Huangdi's son.

For nearly 2,000 years, the legend of Prince Gao, Qin Shihuangdi's son, was preserved in the epic saga of historian Sima Qian, written around 85 BC.

According to Sima Qian (also known as Shiji), after Qin Shihuang's death, his youngest son Ershi Huangdi ascended the throne, eliminating all rivals. Prince Gao regretted that he had not voluntarily followed their father into the afterlife, and asked that he be killed and buried in a large mausoleum. Ershi Huangdi agreed.

Prince Gao's story may be fictional. Although the Shiji is a chronicle, it often passes off legends and legends as facts, similar to Livy's Ab urbe condita. For example, the Shiji describes that there were "100 rivers of mercury" in the mausoleum. While this may be an exaggeration, analyses of the soil showed that it contained mercury levels 100 times higher than normal, suggesting that there is some truth to the story.

The recent discovery of a 16-tonne coffin in a large burial chamber near the Qin Shi Huangdi Mausoleum may confirm this legend. The coffin contained lavish funerary items including weapons, armour, jade, gold and silver camels, cooking utensils and 6,000 bronze coins. Such a lavish burial suggests that the deceased was either a son of the Qin emperor or a high-ranking warrior.

In 2011, excavations uncovered nine tombs with large coffins left in place in accordance with the Chinese government's policy on the mausoleum and its contents. Archaeologists returned this year to retrieve the coffin after heavy rains compromised it. It was excavated and transported for further study in a controlled environment.

At the bottom of the tomb in central China, 16 metres deep and 109 metres long, is a millennia-old sealed coffin that continues to intrigue archaeologists.

"Every time I go down, I never cease to be amazed," said excavation leader Jiang Wenxiao, as reported by The Times.

"After the first emperor died, his sons ended their lives tragically. Therefore, I am inclined to believe that this tomb belongs to a high-ranking nobleman or warlord," Jiang Wenxiao said.

Wenxiao added: "The tomb was precisely built - deep and large-scale. Most ancient tombs have been looted, so we had no hope for the tomb. But it turned out to be intact. We were amazed."

A British-Chinese joint film, which gained exclusive access to the mausoleum site and ongoing excavations, documented the discovery. The film Secrets of the Terracotta Warriors, which premieres on Netflix on 12 June, will focus on these findings.