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Above

Figures of soldiers, officials and entertainers made up the Army

The truth behind these mysterious figures

The Terracotta Army, unearthed in 1974, is one of the most exciting archaeological finds in recent history. The figures represent the soldiers of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of

China. They had been placed in his tomb, an earthen pyramid mound, which was excavated beneath Mount Li. Construction had begun when the emperor was a child – it took many years to build. The tomb represents the royal palace, and the figures inside, court residents. Beside the warriors, archaeologists found models of officials and entertainers. There are 8,000 soldiers, each depicted with weapons such as spears, bows and arrows. There are also models of horses

and chariots. Made out of yellow clay, the Terracotta Warriors were meant to protect the emperor in the afterlife. Artisans first made the limbs and heads which were then fired in a kiln. Once assembled, the models were painted and coated with a preservative, but only some colours are still visible. Each figure was given individual features, with details added to the hair and clothes; artists even added muscle tone to the arms and legs. The height of the soldier depended on his rank – ie the military generals are the tallest figures in the group.

Below

Turner’s famous painting of the Battle of Trafalgar in which the HMS Victory is shown in the midst of battle

The only surviving warship to have fought in the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic wars, the HMS Victory is one of the most

famous ships ever to be built. An imposing first rate ship of the line – line warfare is characterised by two lines of opposing vessels attempting to outmanoeuvre each other in order to bring their broadside cannons into best range and angle – the Victory was

an oceanic behemoth, fitted with three massive gundecks, 104 multiple-ton cannons, a cavernous magazine and a crew

of over 800. It was a vessel capable of blowing even the largest enemy vessels out of the water

with magnificent ferocity and range, while also outrunning and outmanoeuvring

other aggressors.

Historically, it was also to be ViceAdmiral Horatio Lord Nelson’s flagship during the epic naval battle off the Cape of Trafalgar, where it partook in the last great line-based conflict of the age, one in which it helped to grant Nelson a decisive victory over the French and Spanish but at the cost of

his own life.

Crew

There were

over 800 people on board the HMS

Victory, including gunners,

marines, warrant officers and powder monkeys among many others. Life on board was hard for the sailors, who were paid very little for their services and received poor food and little water. Disease was rife too, and

punishments for drunkenness, fighting, desertion and mutiny ranged from flogging to hanging.

Cannons

As a first rate ship of the line, the Victory was a three-gundeck warship with over 100 guns In fact, the Victory was fitted with 104 cannons: 30 x 2.75 ton long pattern 32-pounders on the gundeck, 28 x 2.5 ton long 12-pounders on the middle gundeck, 30 x 1.7 ton short 12-pounders on the upper gundeck, 12 x 1.7 ton short 12-pounders on the quarterdeck, and 2 x medium 12-pounders and 2 x 68-pounder carronades on the forecastle.

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