Ancient Soldiers
of Clay
A Reading A–Z Shared Reading Book
Word Count: 921
Home Connection: Verb Tense
Your reader is learning about past, present,
and future verb tenses. As you read the book
together, help your reader recognize the
verbs on the pages and tell whether they tell
about something that has already happened,
something that is happening, or something that
will happen. Help your reader create a threecolumn chart on paper, with the headings “Has
Happened,” “Is Happening,” and “Will Happen.”
Have your reader write down several examples
of verbs in the book for each tense, as well as the
page numbers on which the words are found.
Visit www.readinga-z.com
for thousands of books and materials.
Written by Susan Markowitz Meredith
www.readinga-z.com
Photo Credits:
Front cover, title page, pages 3, 5 (background), 5 (top), 6 (main): © O. Louis
Mazzatenta/National Geographic Stock; back cover: © Pacific Press/An Keren/
Photo Researchers, Inc.; page 4 (background): © Dario Sartini/Dreamstime.com;
page 4 (inset): © Jason Lee/Reuters/Landov; pages 5 (bottom), 11 (bottom), 14
(bottom), 16 (bottom right): © Arunrak/Dreamstime.com; pages 6 (background),
18: © Jarnogz/Dreamstime.com; page 7: © Stephen Tapply/Dreamstime.com;
pages 8 (background), 10 (background): © Crystal Teo/123RF; page 8 (top):
© John Goulter/age fotostock; page 8 (bottom): © Bob Krist/Corbis; page 9
(background): © Nniud/Dreamstime.com; pages 9 (main), 10 (bottom):
© Xiangchao Deng/123RF; page 10 (top): © iStockphoto.com/Holger Mette;
page 10 (center): © John Henshall/Alamy; page 11 (main): © FSG/age fotostock;
page 12: © Henry Westheim Photography/Alamy; pages 13 (background),
15 (background), 17 (background): © Miao/Dreamstime.com; page 13 (main):
© Tim Whitby/Alamy; page 14 (main): Building of the mausoleum of Emperor Qin
Shi Huang-Ti, 3rd century BC (colour litho), Italian School/Private Collection/
De Agostini Picture Library/The Bridgeman Art Library; page 15 (main):
© Jameswest/Dreamstime.com; page 16 (background): © André Viegas/
Dreamstime.com; page 16 (main): © Dennis Cox/Alamy; page 17 (main):
© Mel Longhurst/age fotostock
Written by Susan Markowitz Meredith
www.readinga-z.com
Ancient Soldiers of Clay
Shared Reading Book
Level 3
© Learning A–Z
Written by Susan Markowitz Meredith
All rights reserved.
www.readinga-z.com
Chapter 1 : T he Discovery
H
old on as we leap back in time ... to the year
1974. Looking around, we find ourselves in
a field in the country of China. Several farmers are
digging a well to find water. Deeper and deeper
they dig. Suddenly, they hit hard clay. Digging
more, they uncover pieces of a clay statue.
Like us, the farmers have many questions.
Contents:
What is it? Where did it come from?
How long has it been here?
Why is it here?
The place where farmers
discovered pieces of a
clay statue
Chapter 1: The Discovery .......................................4
★
Chapter 2: Uncovering a Treasure...........................6
C H I N A
Chapter 3: The Purpose of the Terra-cotta Army...12
Chapter 4: Making the Clay Soldiers .....................13
★
Chapter 5: More to Discover.................................15
Glossary.................................................................18
3
Ancient Soldiers of Clay
I
Shared Reading
4
Not long after the farmers made this
discovery, a team of Chinese archaeologists
arrived. These people were history detectives,
and they came to help solve the mystery of
the clay statue.
Chapter 2 : Uncovering a Treasure
fter digging carefully, the archaeologists
found a chamber about 16 feet below
ground, which they named Pit 1. There they
found life-size, ancient statues of soldiers. The
soldiers were made of baked reddish-brown clay,
called terra-cotta. Some statues had fallen down,
and others were broken.
The archaeologists knew something
interesting about the site of the discovery.
It was near the place where China’s first
emperor was buried more than 2,000
years earlier.
The archaeologists
were not sure the
emperor’s tomb and
the clay statue were
linked, however. They
quickly went to work
to find out more.
This discovery was just the beginning of the
archaeologists’ work. They would eventually
unearth these life-size soldiers and stand them
upright in this huge chamber.
Yang Zhi Fa was digging
a well when he found the
terra-cotta army in 1974.
What secrets about China’s
past lay hidden beneath this
quiet field? The archaeologists
were eager to find out.
These archaeologists are piecing
together a broken terra-cotta warrior.
5
Ancient Soldiers of Clay
I
Shared Reading
6
Two years later, in 1976, archaeologists found
two more chambers with terra-cotta warriors.
They named them Pit 2 and Pit 3. It took the
archaeologists many more years to uncover what
was inside each one. In fact, this work is still
going on today.
Pit 2
This chamber is shaped like an L. It is less
than half the size of Pit 1. Archaeologists
estimate it contains about 1,300 warriors.
These include warriors leading horses, soldiers
with bows and arrows, foot soldiers, and
charioteers. Many of the statues remain halfburied so that visitors can see what the pit
looked like when it was first discovered.
Pit 1
This huge chamber is longer
than two football fields! It has
eleven walkways, paved with
bricks. Archaeologists estimate
it contains about 6,000 warriors
and horses. About one-third
have been unearthed. Most of
them are foot soldiers.
These life-size
soldiers stand
tall and proud
as if they’re
ready for battle.
The wooden chariot
for the charioteer above
has rotted away. However,
the sculpture on the right
is made of a metal called
bronze. It shows what a
real chariot looked like
about 2,200 years ago.
7
Ancient Soldiers of Clay
|
Shared Reading
8
Pit 3
Terra-cotta Army Facts:
Shape
What’s inside
11 walkways divided by
10 walls made of earth
Archaeologists estimate:
L-shaped
Archaeologists estimate:
Pit 3
U-shaped
The officers are in groups facing
one another. Are they making plans?
9
Ancient Soldiers of Clay
|
Shared Reading
10
• about 6,000 soldiers
and horses
• traces of 50 chariots
• about 1,300
warriors
• about 450 horses
• traces of about
90 chariots
Pit 2
Pit 1
This chamber is shaped
like a U. It is the
smallest of the three
pits. It contains about
sixty-eight warriors.
Their uniforms show
that they are army
officers, or the leaders
of the soldiers. This
pit might be a place
to prepare for battle.
Archaeologists have
fully unearthed:
• 68 army officers
• 4 horses
• traces of 1 chariot
Real weapons such as swords, axes, and
arrowheads were found near the terra-cotta
statues. According to archaeologists, soldiers
used weapons like these about 2,200 years ago.
Now that we know a terra-cotta army was
placed underground, our next question may be:
Why were the terra-cotta warriors
ever brought to this place?
I
n ancient China, there was a writer named
Sima Qian. He wrote about the first emperor
of China. Even though Sima Qian never mentions
the terra-cotta army, his writings help us
understand the reason it was built.
The first emperor of China
was very powerful, and
he wanted to hold onto
power even after his death.
That sounds impossible.
How did he think he
could do that?
A large museum
has been built at
the site to protect
the terra-cotta soldiers and allow
archaeologists to keep working.
China’s first emperor was a strong
leader. He conquered and ruled
over all the nearby kingdoms that
had been at war.
11
Ancient Soldiers of Clay
|
Shared Reading
Chapter 3 : The Purpose of the
Terra-cotta Army
12
The emperor had a plan. According to Sima Qian,
the emperor ordered more than 700,000 workers
to build an underground city around his tomb.
This city would include small models of palaces,
offices, and even trees and animals. The emperor
designed this city to be like China’s capital city.
Now that we know why the terra-cotta
soldiers were created, we may wonder:
When the emperor died, he was placed in his
tomb. Although the site of his tomb is known,
it has never been explored, and no one has
seen the underground city described in Sima
Qian’s writings. About a mile away, though, the
terra-cotta soldiers stand underground, armed
with real weapons.
Archaeologists think
these fierce warriors
were placed there
to protect their
emperor in
the afterlife.
Soon after the emperor’s
death, rebels raided
the pits and set fires.
That may be why
archaeologists found so
many broken warriors
and scorched walls.
13
Ancient Soldiers of Clay
|
Shared Reading
14
How was this huge clay army built?
Chapter 4 : Making the Clay Soldiers
The potters baked each warrior in a kiln,
an extremely hot oven that hardens the
clay. Afterward, the craftsmen painted each
hardened clay warrior with
bright colors. Archaeologists
know this is true because
many of the
warriors they
found still have
traces of brilliant
color on their
uniforms and
bodies.
hen the first emperor ordered the
terra-cotta army to be built, he gave
ancient Chinese craftsmen an enormous
challenge. They had to create almost 8,000 lifesize figures. Not just that, each terra-cotta soldier
had to look different from any other and wear a
uniform that fit his rank in the army. To tackle
this huge task, archaeologists think hundreds of
skilled potters must have worked nonstop
in teams—perhaps for ten to eleven years.
How did they do it? According to archaeologists,
the ancient potters built each warrior’s body by
hand. Then they made smaller parts such as ears
and shoes with molds. The craftsmen also used
tools to carve details in every soldier.
Ancient
craftsmen
made sure
that no two
warriors were
exactly alike.
15
Ancient Soldiers of Clay
|
Shared Reading
This is what a terra-cotta soldier
probably looked like when it was
first painted about 2,200 years ago.
16
Glossary
Chapter 5 : More to Discover
ur investigation of China’s terra-cotta
army has come to an end, but the work
there will go on for many years to come. So
far, archaeologists’ discoveries have told us a
lot about the first emperor’s real army. The
terra-cotta soldiers also show us the great skill
of ancient Chinese craftsmen.
Every year, more than two million tourists discover
China’s ancient terra-cotta army for themselves.
17
|
Shared Reading
life after death; life after the
physical body dies (p. 13)
ancient (adj.)
from a very long time ago (p. 6)
archaeologist (n.) a scientist who studies the remains
of ancient cultures (p. 5)
In time we will learn even more—not just about
the terra-cotta army but the whole underground
city these warriors watch over.
Ancient Soldiers of Clay
afterlife (n.)
chamber (n.)
a room or other enclosed space,
either natural or artificial (p. 6)
charioteer (n.)
a person who drives a horse-drawn
carriage with two wheels called
a chariot (p. 8)
craftsman (n.)
a person who is skilled at making
things by hand (p. 15)
emperor (n.)
a man who rules an empire,
generally gaining his power by
birthright (p. 5)
mold (n.)
a hollow container that gives shape
to something pressed or poured
into it (p. 15)
potter (n.)
a person who makes pottery (p. 15)
site (n.)
the piece of land where something
is located; the location where
something is found or took place
(p. 5)
tomb (n.)
a vault, chamber, or grave for a
dead person (p. 5)
warrior (n.)
a person who has fought or is
fighting in a war (p. 7)
18