What happens to the paint when exposed to air?

It curls and flakes as it dries

Why is excavation done slowly?

To protect fragile paint and figures

How do conservators protect paint?

Keeping it moist and using consolidants

Terracotta Army Colors Quiz: Painted Warriors and Lost Pigments

This terracotta army colors quiz brushes soil from a painted warrior. Play 10 interactive questions on farmers finding the pits in 1974, Qin Shi Huang's tomb near Xi'an, layers of lacquer under bright pigments, paint curling and flaking as it dries, a synthetic pigment called Han purple, why excavation is slow and how conservators protect color.

Start Terracotta Army Colors Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Found
When was the Terracotta Army discovered?
Emperor
Which emperor's tomb does the army guard?
City
Near which city is the site?
Paint
How did the warriors originally look?
Lacquer
What layer lay under the pigments?
Flake
What happens to the paint when exposed to air?
Purple
Which unusual synthetic pigment was used?
Slow
Why is excavation done slowly?
Faces
What is notable about the warriors' faces?
Help
How do conservators protect paint?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: When was the Terracotta Army discovered?
Answer: 1974
By farmers digging a well.
Q2: Which emperor's tomb does the army guard?
Answer: Qin Shi Huang
China's first emperor.
Q3: Near which city is the site?
Answer: Xi'an
In Shaanxi Province.
Q4: How did the warriors originally look?
Answer: Brightly painted
Faces and armor were colored.
Q5: What layer lay under the pigments?
Answer: Lacquer
From the lacquer tree.
Q6: What happens to the paint when exposed to air?
Answer: It curls and flakes as it dries
Within minutes.
Q7: Which unusual synthetic pigment was used?
Answer: Han purple
A barium copper silicate.
Q8: Why is excavation done slowly?
Answer: To protect fragile paint and figures
Conservation comes first.
Q9: What is notable about the warriors' faces?
Answer: Each looks different
Varied features.
Q10: How do conservators protect paint?
Answer: Keeping it moist and using consolidants
Special treatments.

Painted Warriors and Lost Colors

In 1974 farmers digging a well near Xi'an discovered pits holding the Terracotta Army, guarding the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, China's first emperor. Thousands of life-size figures, each with a different face, stood in battle formation.

The warriors were originally brightly painted over a base layer of lacquer. Pigments included Han purple, a rare synthetic barium copper silicate. But when the figures are exposed to air, the lacquer dries, curls and flakes, and the color can disappear within minutes.

That is why excavation proceeds slowly. Conservators keep paint moist and use consolidants to fix it in place. Many pits remain partly unexcavated, waiting for better methods to protect their colors.

What This Quiz Teaches

History fans will enjoy these questions.

When the army was found
Whom it guards
How it was painted
Why paint flakes
How color is protected

Did You Know?

Some warriors held real bronze weapons.
Horses and chariots were also found.
The emperor's own mound is unexcavated.
The site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Visitors view the pits from walkways.