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Taerpo Horserider
Material	Terracotta
Size	23 cm tall
Created	4th–3rd century BCE
Discovered	Taerpo cemetery, near Xianyang 34°21′41″N 108°44′36″E / 34.361309°N 108.743223°E / 34.361309; 108.743223
Present location	Xianyang Museum TaerpoTaerpo (Continental Asia)

The Taerpo Horserider is a terracotta figurine dated to the 4th-3rd century BCE from a Qin tomb in the Taerpo cemetery (塔兒坡墓), near Xianyang in Shaanxi. Another nearly-identical statuette is known, from the same tomb. Small holes in his hands suggest that he was originally holding reins in one hand, and a weapon in the other.

This is the earliest known representation of a cavalryman in China. Very few such figurines are known from this time, prior to the 210 BCE Terracotta Army. The outfit is of Central Asian style, probably Saka, and the rider with his large nose appears to be a foreigner. King Zheng of Qin (246–221 BCE) is also known to have employed steppe cavalry men in his army, as seen in the Terracotta Army.

Only red and white are used as colors, as most terracotta statuettes known from the Qin state period. According to Duan Qingbo, there is a possibility that these miniature human and horse shapes were inspired by Scytho-Siberian art, as seen in objects such as the figurines of the Saka incense burners.

• Another view of the statuette
• Taerpo horserider (face detail)
• Difference in realism between the Taerpo statuette (4th-3rd century BCE) and the Terracotta Army (210 BCE).
• Front view

References

1. ^ Khayutina, Maria (Autumn 2013). "From wooden attendants to terracotta warriors" (PDF). Bernisches Historisches Museum the Newsletter. 65: 2, fig. 4. Also in Khayutina, Maria (2013). Qin: the eternal emperor and his terracotta warriors. Zürich: Neue Zürcher Zeitung. no. 314. ISBN 978-3-038-23838-6.
2. 咸阳塔儿坡秦墓 发现战国晚期墓葬385座_考古_文物_墓地. www.sohu.com (in Chinese).
3. Nickel, Lukas (October 2013). "The First Emperor and sculpture in China". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. 76 (3): 416–418. doi:10.1017/S0041977X13000487. ISSN 0041-977X.
4. Qingbo, Duan (January 2023). "Sino-Western Cultural Exchange as Seen through the Archaeology of the First Emperor's Necropolis" (PDF). Journal of Chinese History. 7 (1): 26, fig. 1, 27. doi:10.1017/jch.2022.25. S2CID 251690411.
5. Rawson, Jessica (April 2017). "China and the steppe: reception and resistance". Antiquity. 91 (356): 386. doi:10.15184/aqy.2016.276. S2CID 165092308.
6. Duan, Qingbo (2018). Persian and Greek Participation in the making of China's First Empire. UCLA. Event occurs at 41:00-44:00).
7. Nickel, Lukas (October 2013). "The First Emperor and sculpture in China". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. 76 (3): 416–421. doi:10.1017/S0041977X13000487. ISSN 0041-977X.

• Archaeology of China
• Infantry units and formations
• Military and war museums in China
• Archaeological museums in China
• Zhou dynasty
• Terracotta sculptures
• Military art
• Funerary art
• Chinese sculpture