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1. Terracotta Warriors Discovered in Pit Around Secret Tomb
Place: Shaanxi, China's Xi'an
Discovered in 1974
Estimated worth: $4.5 million for each warrior
When digging a well in 1974, Chinese laborers found thousands of figures made of terracotta clay, all outfitted for combat. In 1987, the Terracotta Army—as it is now called—was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The army was discovered close to the mausoleum built for the first Chinese emperor, Qin Shi Huang.
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Warriors Made of Terracotta Found in a Pit Near a Secret Tomb ©Shutterstock/meanmachine77
The figures are a complete duplicate of all the warriors of the king and are incredibly detailed. Only 2,000 of the 8,000 terracotta soldiers have been discovered through excavation. The warriors were created to guard the emperor in 210 B.C. on his ascension to the afterlife.
