<P> In 1987, the mausoleum, including the Terracotta Warriors, were listed as World Heritage Sites . </P> <P> The first fragments of warriors and bronze arrowheads were discovered by Yang Zhifa, his five brothers, and Wang Puzhi who were digging a well in March 1974 in Xiyang, a village of the Lintong county . At a depth of around two meters, they found hardened dirt, then red earthenware, fragments of terracotta, bronze arrowheads and terracotta bricks . Yang Zhifa threw the fragments of terracotta in the corner of the field, and collected the arrowheads to sell them to a commercial agency . Other villagers took terracotta bricks to make pillows . A manager in charge of the hydraulic works, Fang Shumiao, saw the objects found and suggested to the villagers that they sell them to the cultural centre of the district . Yang Zhifa received, for two carts of fragments of what would turn out to be terracotta warriors, the amount of 10 yuans . Zhao Kangmin, responsible for the cultural centre, then came to the village and bought everything that the villagers uncovered, as well as re-purchasing the arrowheads sold to the commercial agency . </P> <P> In May 1974, a team of archaeologists from Shaanxi went to the site to undertake the first excavations of what would later be designated Pit 1 . In May 1976, Pit 2 was discovered by drilling and in July the Pit 3 . The excavations over an area of 20,000 square meters produced about 7,000 statues of terracotta warriors and horses, and about a hundred wooden battle chariots and numerous weapons . Large structures have been erected to protect the pits; the first was finished in 1979 . A larger necropolis of six hundred pits have been uncovered by 2008 . Some pits were found a few kilometers away from the mound of the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang . </P> <P> The necropolis complex of Qin Shi Huang is a microcosm of the Emperor's empire and palace, with the tomb mound at the center . There are two walls, the inner and outer walls, surrounding the tomb mound, and a number of pits containing figures and artifacts were found inside and outside the walls . To the west inside the inner wall were found bronze chariots and horses . Inside the inner wall were also found terracotta figures of courtiers and bureaucrats who served the Emperor . Outside of the inner wall but inside the outer wall, pits with terracotta figures of entertainers and strongmen, as well as a pit containing a stone suit of armour were found . To the north of the outer wall were found the imperial park with bronze cranes, swan and ducks with groups of musicians . Outside the outer walls were also found imperial stables where real horses were buried with terracotta figures of grooms kneeling beside them . To the west were found mass burial grounds for the labourers forced to build the complex . The Terracotta Army is about 1.5 km east of the tomb mound . </P>

When will the ancient tomb of qin be excavated