Emperor Qin Shi Huang

[ormesbyannie]

Having visited the Terracotta Army Exhibition at the British Museum I understand it is guarding the Emperor Qin Shi Huang's tomb. Also, from what I understand the tomb is a mound in the middle of the rows and rows of the warriors. From surveys undertaken it would seem there is a high mercury reading around this mound giving rise to the idea that there is a miniature world below with cities and rivers of mercury. If this is the case where would such a vast amount of mercury have come from?
Are these thoughts basically correct and is there any further work carried out or articles or books to read?

[4GS]

I read somewhere, or was it a T.V documentary that all emperors were buried in miniature cities where bridges went over rivers made of Mercury. Whether this was because the Chinese knew that water would evaporate over time, or be absorbed into the ground or, even as a deterrent to grave robbers I have no idea, but it shows that the Chinese had access to large amounts of the stuff

[4GS]

Just found this:

http://sparkplugged.net/2006/04/the-first-empe ror/

taken from the link He also became obsessed with immorality and wished to live forever. In those times, the element Mercury was thought to prolong life. Instead this made him go pretty much insane and ultimatly caused his death at the age of 50. The man left a legacy of which is amazingly huge.

[jake-the-peg]

There was a Television documentary thing repeated recently.
http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/H/h istory/e-h/firstemperor.html

You may find it on channel 4's On demand service for download

http://www.channel4.com/4od/index.html

Apparently they knew that the body couldn't metabolise mercury directly - it's not so dangerous to humans in metalic form and was used as a purgative for many centuries in the west.

So they prescribed him mercury compounds which he could ingest - rather fatally. It affects the brain, Milliners use of hot mercury is where we get the expression mad as a hatter from.

There are many reasons mercury is seen as having magical powers, most notably the fact that it disolves gold, an otherwise immutable material. It's also incredible dense, if you have a big vat of it you can drop a connon ball in and it will bob about like a rubber ball in a bath.

There's a lot of Mercury ore in China so there would be no shortage of it and getting the liquid metal's not that hard you just have heat cinnebar ore and condense the vapours.

Mercury's old name "quick silver" comes from an old useage of quick meaning alive as in the "quick and the dead" in the King James Bible - it's really rather descriptive.