Peering inside the first Emperor of China's secret chamber: Scientists will use cosmic rays to reveal artefacts hidden in tomb guarded by the Terracotta Army — said to include deadly traps, an ancient map and mercury rivers

Daily Mail ^ | Friday, December 17th, 2021 | Ian Randall of Mail Online

[SunkenCiv]

This site is famous for the Terracotta Army that was built to protect Qin in death

However, his tomb has never been opened for fear of damaging the contents

Chinese scientists have proposed to scan the complex with muon radiation

This is formed when cosmic rays interact with particles in the upper atmosphere

Measuring the muon flux will allow an image to be made like an 3D X-ray scan

[SunkenCiv]

Terracotta Army keyword, sorted:

• Army Of Miniaturized Terracotta Warriors Discovered Guarding 2,100-Year-Old Chinese Prince’s Tomb [11/20/2018]
• FBI: Partygoer broke off 2,000-year-old statue's thumb, took it home after selfie shot [02/20/2018]
• Chinese anger after terracotta warrior's thumb stolen in US [02/20/2018]
• Excavations reveal new terracotta army at ancient emperor's tomb [05/09/2015]
• Will Liquid Mercury Show The Way To King's Tomb In Mysterious City Of Teotihuacan? [04/25/2015]
• The most complete ancient crossbow unearthed with terracotta army [03/24/2015]
• Ears of Ancient Chinese Terra-Cotta Warriors Offer Clues to Their Creation [11/15/2014]
• China: Ancient Tomb of First Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Grandmother Discovered in Xi'an [09/21/2014]
• China unearths ruined palace near terracotta army [12/05/2012]
• More terracotta warriors unearthed in China [06/30/2012]
• Zheng He's Tomb Found in Nanjing [06/26/2010]
• New Chinese terracotta warrior displays original paint [05/30/2010]
• Research points to early horse castration [03/04/2010]
• Terracotta Army Has Egg On Its Face [04/21/2008]
• 5 Guesses On Emperor Qin Shihuang's Tomb [11/02/2007]
• Inside The Emperor's Underground Palace (China) [08/22/2007]
• China: Mysterious building discovered in emperor's tomb (a buried step-pyramid?) [07/01/2007]
• Chinese tombs may surpass Egyptian wonders [03/24/2007]
• Terracotta Army Sets Off To Conquer Britain [02/07/2007]
• Pollen Reveals (Chinese) Terracotta Army Origins [01/29/2007]
• German Joins China's Ancient Warriors [09/19/2006]
• Archaeologists Find Terracotta Figurines Older Than Those Buried With Chinese First Emperor [08/15/2006]
• Tomb Of 1st Emperor's Grandmother Unearthed (China) [07/29/2006]
• 'Foreigner' Helped Build (Chinese) Terracotta Army [06/28/2006]
• Excavation of tomb ruled out [Mausoleum of Qinshihuang] [02/21/2006]
• Tomb Scan Reveals Buried Treasure (China's First Emperor) [10/20/2005]
• The Terra-cotta soldiers of Qin Shihuang [05/04/2005]
• Nevada Scientists Are Working to Preserve Ancient Terra Cotta Warriors [04/18/2005]
• Five more chambers of first emperor's tomb found [01/11/2003]

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks mairdie.

Digest ping. The other GGG topics added since last digest ping:

• How Allied Submarines Crippled Japan in WW2 (You Tube) [12/17/2021]
• Madison teacher on leave after planned Boston Tea Party reenactment [12/16/2021]
• 14 biggest historical mysteries that will probably never be solved ... Will we ever find Cleopatra's tomb or the Ark of the Covenant? Some mysteries may never be resolved. [12/16/2021]
• Archaeologists uncover oldest Buddha statues ever found in China: 2,200-year-old copper ornaments found during excavation of royal tombs linked to the Eastern Han Dynasty [12/13/2021]
• Mammoth discovery in Mexico during grave excavations [12/13/2021]
• 'The Man of Sorrows': Very Rare Botticelli Unveiled at Sotheby's Dubai [12/13/2021]
• Polish Scholar Sees Six Possible Russian Futures [12/12/2021]
• Ancient flute reveals interest in music [12/12/2021]
• Central European prehistory was highly dynamic [12/12/2021]
• Two Bronze Age hoards found on farm near Royston [12/12/2021]
• New tests show neolithic pits near Stonehenge were human-made [12/12/2021]
• The cosmic mystery of Seahenge: For 4,000 years it lay hidden beneath the Norfolk sands. Now, as it goes on show, a battle is raging over the true purpose of the awesome monument [12/12/2021]
• Cave stalagmites show that flooding destroyed Liangzhu City: How an ancient Chinese culture met its end [12/12/2021]
• Ethiopian monuments 1,000 years older than previously thought [Sakaro Sodo] [12/12/2021]
• Orkney's rare Viking sword has 'many stories to tell' [12/12/2021]
• Neanderthal Babies May Have Started Teething Early [12/12/2021]
• Golden City [18th Dynasty / New Kingdom Egypt / tehn Aten] [12/11/2021]
• Recordings of the magnetic field from 9,000 years ago teach us about the magnetic field today [12/11/2021]
• Why The Russiagate Scandal Outranks Every Other In History [12/09/2021]
• The mystery of HMAS Sydney's 'Unknown Sailor' is finally solved 80 YEARS to the day since he died along with 644 other Aussies when their warship was sunk by Germans off the coast of Western Australia [11/18/2021]
• Leaving a Legacy: The Power of History on the Hearts of Boys [11/18/2021]
• Federal court orders forfeiture of ancient Gilgamesh artifact from Museum of the Bible [07/29/2021]
• Business Insider [07/27/2021]
• Oral Histories from the I&R Platoon of the 99th Infantry Division in December 1944 (Battle of the Bulge) [12/17/2020]
• 3,000-YEAR-OLD BABYLONIAN TABLET TELLING STORY OF NOAH'S ARK IS "EARLIEST EVER EXAMPLE" OF FAKE NEWS [11/30/2019]
• FBI: Partygoer broke off 2,000-year-old statue's thumb, took it home after selfie shot [02/20/2018]
• Chinese anger after terracotta warrior's thumb stolen in US [02/20/2018]

[saintgermaine]

I heard about this before those ancient civilizations have been using mercury in some form or another. The question I have is how did they get hold of substantial amounts of mercury. Perhaps one of the readers may be able to enlighten me.

[DannyTN]

A mercury river? At $0.22 per gram that about $100 a lb, though it might be cheaper in bulk.

Still you could make some money off that. If you can avoid getting poisoned.

[Chode]

[Eddie01]

Geraldo Rivera please pick up the white courtesy phone.

[SunkenCiv]

BTW, he wasn’t the first emperor of China, merely the first one in a while, and his empire didn’t last 2000 years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xia_dynasty
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Yao
c. 2356 – 2255 BC
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Sovereigns_and_Five_Emperors

[ProtectOurFreedom]

My money is on the Chinese “Muon Flux” variant arriving August 2022, just in time for the mid-term elections.

[TexasGator]

“If you can avoid getting poisoned.”

We used to play with mercury some 65 years ago.

[nascarnation]

Yeah, a broken thermometer produced some fun mercury balls. How can I be alive today?

[fso301]

Where’s Geraldo?

[NellieMae]

My daddy had a bottle of mercury in the console of his 442 Oldsmobile when I was a kid and I used to get it out and play with it. My son found that same bottle in Daddy’s garage and I have it now. I always wondered what he did with it. He was a machinist.

[marktwain]

We used to play with mercury some 65 years ago.

Yes, indeed.

It takes a lot of exposure to metallic mercury for significant mercury poisoning. But, it is cumulative...

[SunkenCiv]

https://www.usgs.gov/mission-areas/water-resources/science/mercury

Mercury is emitted by natural sources, such as volcanoes, geothermal springs, geologic deposits, and the ocean. Human-related sources primarily include coal combustion, waste incineration, industrial uses, and mining.

Lots of fun stuff here:

https://www.google.com/search?q=mercury+reaction+site%3Ayoutube.com

Potosi had a silver mine that — if memory serves — used (local) mercury to refine the ore, maybe still does. The mining started there in 1545, and hasn’t stopped yet. One big quake will probably do it. :^)

[bdfromlv]

Lots of Cinnabar in china, just heat the rocks it oozes out

[McGavin999]

I remember that! When someone broke a thermometer every kid around drooped to the floor and tried to pick up the mercury. Press a glob and it broke up into dozens of smaller globs.

[GingisK]

It dissolves lead. He probably used it to clean solder from small parts that were machined while attached to a fixture.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

I remember in science class 1958, some kids coating silver coins (remember those) with it. Others stuck their tongues in it to see if it had any taste.

Mom said my grandpa had a large jar of it he picked up at an auction. I often wonder what ever happened to it.

[LibWhacker]

Yup, lots of it. My dad used to work on the Rock Island Railroad and he’d bring it home in little bottles for us to play with... On the dinner table usually. He just told us not to let it get in our eyes or mouth. Never a problem.

[Dr. Ursus]

Right on schedule they just canceled the Christmas show at Radio City for the season!