A terracotta warrior depicting the image of a senior military officer has been unearthed from a pit in the Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang in Xi'an City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province.
Terracotta sculptures of senior military officers are rarely seen in the army of Terracotta Warriors, which were built under the rule of Emperor Qin Shi Huang of the Qin Dynasty (221 B.C.-207 B.C.), who unified China for the first time.
The terracotta military officers usually wear heguan, a headpiece for military officials, and are clad in colorful scale armor decorated with exquisite patterns.
Their hands are clasped in front of the abdomen, while their shoulders, along with the front and back of the chest, are adorned with ribbon-like floral knots.
The recently unearthed terracotta figure was found with several parts of its body broken off, but its colors remained fresh through the millennia under the protection of silt.
"Silt has the advantage of providing relatively stable humidity and temperature under certain conditions, which is conducive to the protection of the colors," said Zhu Sihong, archaeological project manager for the No.2 pit of the army of Terracotta Warriors.
Archaeologists numbered and photographed each part of the fractured clay statue before sending it to the archaeological lab for research and restoration.
In 1974, local farmers accidentally unearthed clay fragments while digging a well, leading to one of China's most significant archeological discoveries -- the army of Terracotta Warriors. This discovery was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987.
Around 2,000 life-size clay warriors and numerous weapons have been unearthed from three pits surrounding Qin Shi Huang's tomb, covering an area of over 20,000 square meters.
After 50 years of excavation and research efforts, more than 10 above-ground building sites and over 500 underground burial pits and tombs have been discovered in the mausoleum. Over 50,000 pieces of relics have been unearthed.
Rare terracotta warrior depicting military officer unearthed in Xi'an
Rare terracotta warrior depicting military officer unearthed in Xi'an
Pakistani warplanes struck several locations across Afghanistan on Thursday night and Friday, killing at least six people, including a woman and a child, and wounding more than a dozen others, local officials said.
The strikes hit a fuel depot near the country's Kandahar Airport, areas in the capital Kabul, and the eastern Nangarhar Province.
A Pakistani security source said the strikes targeted hideouts belonging to the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
In Kabul's 21st police district, one of the areas hit, a market was left in ruins. Several cars were destroyed, and windows of buildings in the market and nearby areas were shattered. A crater caused by the Pakistani airstrikes was also visible.
"This is my car. I had parked it here, and it was the only way I could bring food to my family's table. It was my sole source of income and my only means of employment. Now my car is in this condition, and I have no other way to provide for my family," said Mohamad Ghulam, a taxi driver.
The airstrikes destroyed a house, killing four members of a single family. More than a dozen other households in the area reported their homes either fully or partially destroyed.
One of the victims was 22-year-old Hedayatullah, who had just been married. He was killed alongside his pregnant wife, as well as his brother and sister.
"Hedayatullah got married nine months ago. His brother was 18 years old. He himself was 22 years old, he also had a 12-year-old sister, and his wife was about 19 years old and was pregnant," said Ghulam Sakhi, a relative of the victims.
"This neighbor of ours was a family of five. Their mother was not present at the moment of the bombardment, but the rest of them lost their lives. It was Hedayatuallah's family. From my own family, two of my daughters, my sister-in-law, my brother, and two nieces got injured," said Mohamad Homayoun, a survivor.
In the past weeks, scores of people from both sides have been killed or injured in the conflict between Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan, according to officials from the two countries.
The United Nations mission in Afghanistan has called for an immediate halt to cross-border clashes, warning that the escalating violence is driving a surge in civilian casualties and deepening a humanitarian crisis.
At least 6 killed, more than a dozen wounded in Pakistani airstrikes on Afghanistan: officials
