How Many Types of Terracotta Warriors are there?

The Terracotta Army Museum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang has revealed a diverse range of terracotta warriors. These figures can be categorized into two main groups: soldier figures and military official figures. The soldier figures consist of infantry, cavalry, and chariot soldiers, among others. Meanwhile, military official figures are classified into lower-level, middle-level, and high-level ranks. Additionally, based on military branches, the figures include infantry, cavalry, chariot soldiers, and crossbowmen. Below are some of the primary types of terracotta warriors:

Terracotta Warriors Types

• Infantry Soldiers

  

  
  Standing Archers: They are a unique category among the terracotta warriors, found in the eastern part of Pit 2. They wield bows and crossbows as weapons and, along with kneeling archers, create a crossbowmen’s military formation.

  

  Kneeling Archers: These soldiers are positioned at the center of the formation and work alongside standing archers to form the crossbowmen’s unit.

  Ordinary Warriors: These ordinary soldiers average about 1.8 meters in height. They make up the primary force of the military formation and represent the largest group of terracotta warriors discovered in the pits. They can be classified into two types based on their attire: those wearing robes and those in armor.

  

• Cavalry Figures

  They are the earliest cavalry objects discovered in the archaeological history of China so far, unearthed from Pit 1 and Pit 2.

• Chariot Soldier Figures

  

  Charioteers: Chariot drivers have been found in all three pits. They wear long ru, outer armor, and protective gear, including arm guards, hand guards, leg guards, and neck guards. Additionally, they sport turbans and long crowns. Their arms are raised forward, mimicking the action of pulling the reins.

  

  Left and Right Chariot Warriors: The left warrior wears a long ru with armor and leg guards, along with a zhongze. He holds long weapons like spears or ge in his left hand, while his right hand presses on the chariot. Conversely, the right warrior holds a long weapon in his right hand and supports himself with his left hand. Together, they are the main combat forces in chariot battles.

  Military Official Figures of Terracotta Warriors

• Lower – level Military Official Figures

  They wear single – board crowns. Some are in civilian clothes, and some wear armor, but there are no painted patterns on the armor.

  

• Middle – level Military Official Figures

They wear long ru, armor on the outside, square – toed shoes, and double – board long crowns.

• High – level Military Officials

  That is generals, are rare in the terracotta warrior pits, with fewer than ten discovered. They are categorized into two types: robe-wearing and armor-wearing generals. The robe-wearing generals have simple clothing adorned with flower-knot decorations on the chest. In contrast, the armor-wearing generals feature eight colorful flower-knots on their chest, back, and shoulders, highlighting their rank, status, and dignity within the army.