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BadDates
"Bad dates."
There are three conflicting canon sources for this article, from Indiana Jones and the Secret of the Sphinx, Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb, and Indiana Jones Adventure World. A cohesive timeline has not yet been devised by Lucasfilm. Editor discretion is advised.

"What an ego."
―Indiana Jones[src]

Qin Shi Huang (or Ch'in Shih-huang-ti) was the first Emperor of the Qin Dynasty and unified China.

Biography[]

Qin Shi Huang's reign lasted from 221 BC to 210 BC, during which time he conceived the idea of joining the fortifications and watchtowers marking the edge of his empire with one long continuous wall that would become the Great Wall of China.[1]

Upon declaring himself First Emperor of China,[2] the wise yet ruthless former warlord surrounded himself with astrologers and alchemists in search of means by which he could be granted eternal life.[2]

Then four years into his reign, a meteorite struck the ground in Shaanxi Province mysteriously foretelling Qin's death on its inscription. The emperor began construction on his own tomb the following year[2] deep within the Sacred Mountain, Mount Hua. Folktales would say the completion of the complex took nearly four decades and 700,000 laborers. [3]

Legacy[]

After his death, Qin was buried along with thousands of his own soldiers and servants who would form the spirit army backbone of the Terracotta Army.[4] Among the treasures that had been stored alongside him, Qin's body would sit for centuries until the 1930s when his body was discovered by Indiana Jones.[3][4]

On an expedition prior to his search for El Dorado in 1934, Professor John Allen was accused of destroying the First Emperor of China's tomb.[5]

Behind the scenes[]

There is some inconsistancy in Indiana Jones continuity in that Indy has met the First Emperor of China twice within the space of two years.

In 1934, Jones finds Qin's corpse sitting on a mechanical jade throne inside his tomb. To escape the room's traps, the archaeologist rides the throne with the body of the emperor up and out of Mount Hua during which Qin's head detaches and disappears down the mountainside.[3]

Then, one year later in 1935, Indy once again finds the body of the emperor inside the Netherworld via his tomb and precedes to pluck the Heart of the Dragon from his mouth which reanimates the corpse.[4]

Appearances[]

Sources[]

Notes and references[]

External links[]

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