The incredible history of China's terracotta warriors - Megan Campisi and Pen-Pen Chen

Neverovatna istorija kineskih ratnika od terakote - Megan Kampisi i Penpen Čen

Prevodilac: Mile Živković Lektor: Ivana Korom

What happens after death?

Šta se događa posle smrti?

Is there a restful paradise?

Da li postoji tih raj?

An eternal torment?

Večno mučilište?

A rebirth?

Ponovno rođenje?

Or maybe just nothingness?

Ili možda ništavilo?

Well, one Chinese emperor thought that whatever the hereafter was,

Jedan kineski car je mislio, šta god će biti posle,

he better bring an army.

bolje da povede vojsku.

We know that because in 1974,

To znamo jer su 1974.

farmers digging a well near their small village

poljoprivrednici koji su kopali bunar u svom malom selu

stumbled upon one of the most important finds in archeological history:

naišli na jedno od najvažnijih otkrića u arheološkoj istoriji:

vast underground chambers surrounding that emperor's tomb,

prostrane podzemne odaje, koje okružuju grobnicu cara

and containing more than 8,000 life-size clay soldiers ready for battle.

i sadrže više od 8000 glinenih vojnika u prirodnoj veličini, spremnih za bitku.

The story of the subterranean army begins with Ying Zheng,

Priča o podzemnoj vojsci počinje sa Jing Džengom,

who came to power as the king of the Qin state at the age of 13

koji došao na vlast kao kralj države Đing

in 246 BCE.

246. godine p.n.e.

Ambitious and ruthless,

Ambiciozan i okrutan,

he would go on to become Qin Shi Huangdi,

postao je Đin Ši Huangdi,

the first emperor of China after uniting its seven warring kingdoms.

prvi kineski car, posle ujedinjenja sedam zavađenih kineskih kraljevstva.

His 36 year reign saw many historic accomplishments,

U 36 godina njegove vladavine došlo je do mnogih istorijiskih postignuća,

including a universal system of weights and measures,

uključujući univerzalni sistem mera,

a single standardized writing script for all of China,

jedinstveno standardizovano pismo za celu Kinu

and a defensive barrier that would later come to be known as the Great Wall.

i odbrambenu prepreku koja će se kasnije prozvati Velikim zidom.

But perhaps Qin Shi Huangdi dedicated so much effort

Ali možda je Đin Ši Huangdi uložio toliko napora

to securing his historical legacy

da zaštiti svoju istorijsku zaostavštinu

because he was obsessed with his mortality.

jer je bio opsednut sopstvenom smrtnošću.

He spent his last years desperately employing alchemists

Poslednje godine života proveo je očajnički unajmljujući alhemičare

and deploying expeditions in search of elixirs of life

i šaljući ekspedicije u potrazi za eliksirom života

that would help him achieve immortality.

koji bi mu pomogli da ostvari besmrtnost.

And as early as the first year of his reign,

Već prve godine svoje vladavine,

he began the construction of a massive underground necropolis

počeo je da gradi ogroman podzemni nekropolj,

filled with monuments, artifacts,

prepun spomenika, artefakata,

and an army to accompany him into the next world

kao i vojske koja bi ga otpratila u svet sa druge strane

and continue his rule.

gde bi nastavio da vlada.

This magnificent army is still standing in precise battle formation

Ova veličanstvena vojska još uvek stoji u preciznom stavu za boj

and is split across several pits.

i podeljena je u nekoliko prostorija.

One contains a main force of 6,000 soldiers,

U jednoj je glavna snaga od oko 6000 vojnika,

each weighing several hundred pounds,

od kojih svaki ima nekoliko stotina kilograma,

a second has more than 130 war chariots and over 600 horses,

u drugoj je preko 130 ratnih kočija i preko 600 konja

and a third houses the high command.

a u trećoj je visoka komanda.

An empty fourth pit suggests that the grand project

Iz prazne četvrte rupe može se pretpostaviti da veliki projekat

could not be finished before the emperor's death.

nije mogao biti završen pre smrti cara.

In addition, nearby chambers contain figures of musicians and acrobats,

Pored toga, susedne dvorane sadrže figure muzičara i akrobata,

workers and government officials,

radnika i vladinih zvaničnika,

and various exotic animals,

kao i raznih egzotičnih životinja,

indicating that Emperor Qin had more plans for the afterlife

iz čega se vidi da je car Đin imao više planova za zagrobni život

than simply waging war.

od prostog ratovanja.

All the figurines are sculpted from terracotta, or baked earth,

Sve figure su oblikovane od terakote, ili pečene zemlje,

a type of reddish brown clay.

što je vrsta crvenkasto-smeđe gline.

To construct them, multiple workshops and reportedly over 720,000 laborers

Kako bi se one napravile, više radionica i navodno preko 720 000 radnika

were commandeered by the emperor,

slušalo je naređenja cara,

including groups of artisans who molded each body part separately

uključujući i grupu zanatlija koji su svaki deo tela izlivali posebno

to construct statues as individual as the real warriors in the emperor's army.

kako bi napravili statue jedinstvene kao pravi ratnici careve vojske.

They stand according to rank

Raspoređeni su po činu

and feature different weapons and uniforms,

i imaju različita oružja i uniforme,

distinct hairstyles and expressions,

jedinstvene frizure i izraze lica,

and even unique ears.

čak i jedinstvene uši.

Originally, each warrior was painted in bright colors,

Prvobitno je svaki ratnik bio obojen u jarkoj boji,

but their exposure to air caused the paint to dry and flake,

ali od izloženosti vazduhu, boja se osušila i oljuštila

leaving only the terracotta base.

i ostala je samo osnova od terakote.

It is for this very reason that another chamber less than a mile away

Upravo zbog ovog razloga nije iskopana druga prostorija

has not been excavated.

udaljena oko jednog kilometra.

This is the actual tomb of Qin Shi Huangdi,

Ovo je grobnica Đin Ši Huangdija,

reported to contain palaces, precious stones and artifacts,

u kojoj se navodno nalaze palate, drago kamenje i artefakti

and even rivers of mercury flowing through mountains of bronze.

i čak i reke žive koje teku kroz planine od bronze.

But until a way can be found to expose it without damaging the treasures inside,

Ali dok se ne nađe način da se to otkrije bez oštećenja blaga koje je unutra,

the tomb remains sealed.

grobnica ostaje zapečaćena.

Emperor Qin was not alone in wanting company for his final destination.

Car Đin nije bio jedini koji je želeo društvo za svoj poslednji počinak.

Ancient Egyptian tombs contain clay models representing the ideal afterlife,

Stare egipatske grobnice sadrže glinene modele idealnog zagrobnog života,

the dead of Japan's Kofun period were buried

mrtvi iz Kofun perioda u Japanu sahranjivani su

with sculptures of horses and houses,

sa skulpturama konja i kuća,

and the graves of the Jaina island off the Mexican coast

a grobovi na ostrvu Džana na obali Meksika

are full of ceramic figurines.

prepuni su keramičkih figura.

Fortunately, as ruthless as he was,

Na sreću, iako je bio okrutan,

Emperor Qin chose to have servants and soldiers built for this purpose,

car Đin je odlučio da se za ovu namenu naprave sluge i vojnici,

rather than sacrificing living ones to accompany him,

umesto da žrtvuje one žive koji bi mu se pridružili,

as had been practiced in Egypt, West Africa, Anatolia,

kao što je bio običaj u Egiptu, Zapadnoj Africi, Anatoliji,

parts of North America

delovima Severne Amerike

and even China during the previous Shang and Zhou dynasties.

i čak i u Kini tokom prethodnih perioda dinastija Šang i Džu.

And today, people travel from all over the world to see these stoic soldiers

Danas ljudi putuju iz svih krajeva sveta da vide ove stoičke vojnike

silently awaiting their battle orders for centuries to come.

kako u tišini čekaju naređenja za boj u vekovima koji nadolaze.