Pit 2 gives up a rare general — and two chariots

The Terracotta Army is not a finished exhibit — it is an excavation in progress, and Pit 2 keeps proving the point.

In December 2024, the museum announced the first high-ranking officer figurine (高级军吏俑) ever excavated from Pit 2 — and only around the tenth general found among the roughly 2,000 warriors unearthed since 1974. The identification rests on classic markers: the distinctive headdress, the crossed-hand posture, the ribbon details on the armour. The excavation team's lead, Zhu Sihong, judged the figure likely to be the highest military commander of its unit. It was recovered together with traces of a command chariot and three pottery horses.

Then, on 14 January 2026, the 2025 excavation season's results were presented: two more chariots from Pit 2, plus 15 chariot fittings and nine weapons. These chariots have no wheels — deliberate funeral symbols rather than practical vehicles, a known feature of imperial burial practice.

For visitors this is the quiet charm of the site: the pits are a working archaeological field, and what you see roped off today may be in a display case — or a headline — next year.