Fingerprints found on the soldiers of the terracotta army indicate who really built it

The Terracotta Army, discovered in 1974 near Xi'an, was created over 2,000 years ago to guard the tomb of China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang. Recent research suggests that women and minors may have participated in its production, challenging previous assumptions that only adult men were involved. Scientists analyzed fingerprints from 36 figures and estimated that approximately 45% belonged to adult men, 32.7% to adult women, and 22.3% to individuals under 15. These findings align with historical sources indicating that women and children worked in state workshops during the Qin dynasty. However, the study's authors caution that the sample size is small and does not provide a complete picture of the workforce involved in creating the Terracotta Army.