“Terra Cotta Warriors”

You’ll be awed when you come face-to-face with the terra cotta warriors that were created by China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang. Meant to protect the emperor’s spirit after he died in 210 B.C., 14 of the warriors, which ride chariots, wield weapons and stand in battle-ready poses, have left the emperor’s side and traveled to the Houston Museum of Natural Science for the “Terra Cotta Warriors” exhibit. So powerful was the emperor that he had literally an entire army of the figures made to come with him into his tomb — over 1,000 of the life-size figures have been excavated so far, and thousands more remain underground. The first of the statues were found accidentally in 1974 by farmers digging wells, making for what many archeologists have called the most significant find of the twentieth century. At the HMNS exhibition, the warriors will be displayed alongside other artifacts from the enormous necropolis — yes, a city of the dead — which took 36 years to build after the emperor commissioned it at age 13. Timed entry 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. most Fridays, Saturdays, Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays. Through October 16. One Hermann Circle Drive. For information, call 713-639-4629 or visit www.hmns.org. $18 to $25.
May 18-Oct. 16, 2009