Two ancient chariots unearthed outside Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum

XI'AN -- Chinese archaeologists have discovered two ancient chariots in a new round of excavations at a burial pit near Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum in Northwest China's Shaanxi province.

The chariots were found in Pit No 2 at the Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum, researchers announced at an archaeological conference held on Wednesday.

Carried out by the museum in 2025, the excavation covered an area of approximately 30 square meters and also unearthed 15 pieces of chariot and horse gear, along with nine weapons.

Zhu Sihong, the project leader and a research fellow at the museum, said that one notable finding is that the chariots were buried without wheels -- a feature not previously confirmed in this section of the pit.

Zhu said the vehicles likely served a symbolic rather than functional role in the underground army.

Pit No 2 covers an area of about 6,000 square meters. Preliminary surveys suggest it contains over 1,300 terracotta warriors and horses, including charioteers, cavalry, kneeling archers and standing archers. Many of the best-preserved painted terracotta figures discovered to date come from this pit.

Discovered in 1974, the Terracotta Warriors army was built by Emperor Qinshihuang of the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-207 BC), who unified China for the first time. The site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987.

So far, thousands of life-size clay warriors and numerous weapons have been unearthed from three pits surrounding Qinshihuang's tomb, providing insights into the politics, economics, military power, art and social life of the Qin Dynasty.