Tourist Damages 2,000 Year Old Terracotta Warriors
A man damaged two prized terracotta warriors after scaling a fence and jumping into a restricted area of the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang in Xi'an, China last Friday.
The 30-year-old domestic tourist 'climbed over the guardrail and the protective net' before diving more than 17 feet into Pit No. 3, according to an official statement issued on Saturday. Once inside, he reportedly 'pushed and pulled' several warriors which were 'damaged to varying degrees.'
Footagefrom the incident quickly circled around Weibo, showing the man lying on the ground, surrounded by the toppled statues. Security intervened shortly after, detaining the individual who they believe '[suffers] from mental illness.'
The Terracotta Army, discovered in 1974 by local farmers, was created around 210 BCE to accompany China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, in the afterlife. The elaborate necropolis includes over 8,000 life-sized clay soldiers, each distinct in appearance, as well as hundreds of horses, chariots and real bronze weaponry.
This isn't the first time the clay warriors have seen damage. In 2017, a man in Philadelphia drunkenly snapped a finger off of one of the statues on view at the Franklin Institute. After pleading guilty in a 2023 hearing, the culprit said he was willing tosell his prized sneaker collectionto cover the cost.
While the investigation for the recent incident still underway, the museum remains open to visitors, a spokesperson confirmed toAFP.
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Los Angeles Times
21-07-2025
- Los Angeles Times
LACMA's great Buddhist art collection, pulled out of storage, is an irresistible force
'Realms of the Dharma: Buddhist Art Across Asia' is a large and engaging presentation that includes some of the most splendid sculptures and paintings in the permanent collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. It's great to see these works again. Most of the art was packed up around eight years ago in preparation for the demolition of the museum's original campus and construction of a new permanent collection building. The current offering of around 180 objects, installed in the temporary exhibition spaces of the Resnick Pavilion, is a version of what was then sent on tour, presented in 2018 at Mexico City's incomparable National Museum of Anthropology. (LACMA Deputy Director Diana Magaloni was former director there.) Subsequent planned travel to art museums in Texas and the Pacific Northwest were derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic, so the work went back into storage. It has been unavailable for hometown public viewing for a very long time. 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Needless to say, as they proliferated in what are modern Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Korea and more, Buddha took on a variety of forms. LACMA has scores of fine examples, large and as in an exquisite 8th century brass and silver cast from Kashmir, just 16 inches tall, he is seated with legs crossed and fingers entwined, counting earthly elements like fire and water being absorbed into the mind. In Tang Dynasty China he sits isolated in regal splendor, like an emperor carved in timeless white stone atop an elegantly draped cushion. In the next room, a sturdy Burmese Buddha wearing a transparent garment of reddish lacquered wood raises an oversize right hand in a jumbo gesture of peace, extending an open left hand that seems caught in mid-motion. (There are scores of symbolic Buddhist hand gestures, called mudras.) 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From there, most objects are clustered by simple chronology and the region where they were made. That organizational scheme for such varied works of art is standard for permanent museum collections. It's rather unusual at LACMA, though, given the timing. Earlier this month, previews were held of the empty new building for the permanent collection, the David Geffen Galleries, explicitly designed to replace chronology and geography with art clustered by theme. Press materials for 'Dharma' suggest it's a thematic package, with the exhibition as a means to learn about Buddhism. That reduces art to illustration, but happily the installation doesn't come across that way. Art museums are great places to learn about art — about how it's made, by whom and why — but not so great for religious education. 'Realms of the Dharma: Buddhist Art Across Asia' and its handsome scholarly catalog, written by LACMA curator Stephen Little and former associate curator Tushara Bindu Gude, are good at that. 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The wall label, without making a definitive declaration, would be an ideal place to introduce the important subject of case-by-case provenance research, but the subject is ignored. 'Realms of the Dharma' will remain on view for a year, closing in July 2026. That means LACMA's Buddhist masterworks won't be in the Geffen building when it debuts in April next year, or anytime soon after that. (Architect Peter Zumthor is testing paint glazes for some of the Geffen's all-concrete walls, although a final decision on whether to add color has not been made.) The show is sensitively installed in Resnick. Given the art's nearly decade-long hiatus from L.A., it's worth visiting more than once during the next several months, before it disappears again.
National Geographic
05-07-2025
- National Geographic
7 must-visit ancient sites everyone should see
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). If you're after must-see sights, the monuments of ancient civilisations are right at the top. And it's not just because their temples, tombs, cities and citadels are superlative feats of archaeology — it's because they're us. They reveal humanity that is different and awe-inspiring yet still relatable. You'll get the most out of these sites in the company of an expert guide (or audio guide) to make sense of what you're seeing and it's wise to pre-purchase tickets online to beat queues and guarantee entry. 1. Pyramids of Giza, Egypt It's the contrast that gets you. On one side is the monumental, 26th-century BCE Great Pyramid of Khufu and its two satellite pyramids in camel-coloured desert. On the other is the urban sprawl of Giza, which is why the Sphinx stares inscrutably at a glorified car park. The trick to visiting the Giza Plateau, on the Nile's west bank outside Cairo, is to pre-book a guide at your hotel. 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Only 1,000 of the 5,600 daily tickets are released on the day itself, so buy well in advance or go with a specialist tour offering transfers and guides. Multi-day options that include the Inca capital Cusco and the surrounding Sacred Valley are a good choice, plus a smart move to acclimatise to altitude if you're hiking to Machu Picchu on the Inca Trail. To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).
Forbes
30-06-2025
- Forbes
Elka Watch Co. Introduces Arinis X Loch Lãt Swiss Inspired Diver
Arinis x Loch lãt Elka Watch Co. has launched the Arinis x Loch Lãt, a new dive watch that draws on the regional history of Saint-Blaise, a small town on the edge of Lake Neuchâtel. This collaborative release connects modern watchmaking with a local heritage that spans over 4,000 years, including Roman-era construction and early engineering milestones. Whisky dial The name Arinis refers to the ancient designation for Saint-Blaise, where in 80 BCE sandstone was quarried and shipped across the lake to help construct Aventicum, the Helvetian capital of the Roman Empire. Long before that, around 2600 BCE, the now-symbolic Wheel of Saint-Blaise marked an early mechanical innovation. That artifact later became the emblem of Loch Lãt, a local whisky brand involved in the project. The Arinis x Loch Lãt features a 41 mm stainless steel case with a 200-meter water resistance rating, a unidirectional ceramic bezel, and a chevé box-style sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating. Inside is the La Joux-Perret G100 movement, a modern automatic calibre running at 4 Hz with a 68-hour power reserve and stop-second function. Single malt Loch Lat FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder Dial accents and case tones are designed in amber to reflect both the color of Loch Lãt whisky and the sandstone once transported by Roman barges. The hands and markers are filled with Superluminova for underwater legibility, and the crown and caseback are both screw-down for added durability. Buyers can choose from a range of strap options including NATO, leather, rubber, Milanese mesh, or a rice grain steel bracelet. Swiss retail prices range from 1,895 to 1,995 CHF, with international pricing starting at 1,755 CHF excluding VAT.
