China's earth has already offered up terracotta warriors, officials and servants. Now, for the first time, terracotta acrobats have been found in a pit close to the tomb of the emperor Qin Shi Huang outside Xian.
Chinese archaeologists say the discovery of 12 life-sized figures offer the first indication of how the brutal emperor liked to be entertained and a rare glimpse of social life 2,200 years ago.
After being unearthed in April and May this year, three of the figures have been pieced together. They seem to be half naked and quite different from the other figures discovered over the past 25 years.
Eleven look like muscular males with painted yellow skin. The 12th is much slimmer and thought to be a woman, according to Zhang Tinghao of the Shaanxi Provincial Bureau of Cultural Relics.
The three restored figures lack their heads so it is hard to tell. Below their bare torsos, they wear short tunics painted with geometric designs. From their postures, experts think they were portrayed engaged in some sort of acrobatic feat. One figure holds his own wrist, another is lifting up one hand. The third figure, who is stout with strong arms and legs, appears to be grasping a short pump-like object.
'Acrobats were quite common in ancient China. From paintings at Dunhuang we know that when an important figure went out, he would have some acrobats accompany him to keep him amused on the road,' said Xu Pingfang, director emeritus at the Institute of Archaeology.