Wood Use in the Terracotta Army Pits and Mausoleum of China's First Emperor

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As a renowned World Heritage Site, the First Qin Emperor's mausoleum complex has been gained much academic attention in the past decades, particularly the stunning terracotta warriors equipped with functional bronze weapons. However, the large quantity of wood remains for constructing ancillary pits attracted less attention, and have never been systematically studied yet. Many of these remains, including beams, pillars, and wooden floor, have been preserved in the form of charcoal because they were burned shortly after the construction, therefore, it allows us to research the wood species, wood resources use, possible source region, past vegetation, and climatic features by studying these charcoal samples. The proposed research seeks to address issues mentioned above and investigate the spatial distribution to better understand the building practice and labour organization. Literature review, wood charcoal analysis (anatomy) and stable carbon isotope analysis would be used to conduct this research, combining with insight from spatial and statistical analysis. This research can not only help us to verify previous interpretations about remains found in the complex, but also tell us about whole landscapes of resource extraction in the Qin empire. Moreover, it may also impact people's views about the archaeology of early empires more generally.