The incredible story of China's greatest archaeological treasure - the Terracotta Army.

The Terracotta Army is one of the greatest, and most famous, archaeological discoveries of all time. 8,099 life-size figures of warriors and horses were interred in the Mausoleum of the First Emperor of China - each is individually carved, and they are thought to represent real members of the emperor's army. This is the remarkable story of their creation, the man who ordered them made, their rediscovery and their continuing legacy as a pre-eminent symbol of Chinese greatness. The First Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, was king of the Chinese state of Qin and the first man to unite China into a single empire. He built the first Great Wall and brought a single written script to the whole country. He was an inspired and ruthless ruler, but one also beset by paranoia and a desire for immortality. He is still considered the founding father of the modern state of China. On his death in 210 BC he was buried in a giant mausoleum near modern-day Xi'an. Legends of the treasures contained therein still tantalize the imagination today. In 1974, local farmers digging a well for water broke through into the burial mound and found the first of the Terracotta warriors.

Further excavations have revealed the full splendour of the buried army. But the majority of the mausoleum is yet to be opened, including the burial chamber itself - myth tells us that amongst the treasures yet to be uncovered is a vast map of the First Emperor's kingdom with rivers marked with channels of flowing mercury. The story of the First Emperor and the Terracotta Army is a fascinating one, not least for the discoveries yet to be made.

In 1974 farmers digging a well near present-day Xian unearthed parts of clay figures, opening the way to one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of all time. The Terracotta Army was a total surprise ? some 8,000 life-size clay warriors and horses buried in 210 BC as a ?spirit army? to guard the tomb of the First Emperor. They had been lying forgotten in their three pits for over 2,000 years.

The First Emperor, the brilliant and ruthless ruler who united China and built the first Great Wall, was beset by paranoia and a desire to dominate in the afterlife, as he had in this one. Around his giant tomb-mound, as yet unopened, other pits concealed a whole spirit world of officials, entertainers, armour, and bronze chariots.

1,000 of the warriors now stand with many other finds in a site that attracts some two million visitors a year. As work continues, there are surely more surprises to come. As John Man suggests, there could even be more warriors still to be discovered. One day, perhaps, the tomb-mound itself will be opened and its legendary treasures revealed.

Weaving together history and first-hand experience from his travels in China, John Man tells the story of how and why these astonishing artefacts were created.

John Man is a historian and travel writer with a special interest in Mongolia and China. After reading German and French at Oxford he did two postgraduate courses, one in the history of science at Oxford , the other in Mongolian at the School of Oriental and African Studies. He is the author of GENGHIS KHAN, ATTILA THE HUN and KUBLAI KHAN.