Mysteries of the Terracotta Warriors

James Tovell's 2024 documentary is about the thousands of terracotta soldiers guarding the tomb of China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang. It ties two lines together: the work of archaeologists on site, and a reconstruction through reenactment of how the figures were produced two thousand years ago. The central question is how the army was made, and the fact that every figure has its own face, the scale of production and the number of people put to work on it produce a concrete picture of the empire's organisational capacity. The documentary also says plainly that the archaeological findings remain open and that most of the tomb has never been excavated. The balance between reenactment and the scientific sections tips toward the former at times. Who it's for: viewers who like archaeology and documentaries on ancient China. Who it's not for: anyone wanting only field material rather than a reenactment-heavy television documentary.