205Unification

China is united for the first time under the Qin Dynasty.

The inscription on display praises the Qin emperor, whose conquests ended the Warring States period and launched the Qin Dynasty. It lasted just 15 years (221–206 BC), yet produced two of China’s most famous icons: the Great Wall and the terracotta army. The inscription is one of the Museum’s few artifacts from this brief but pivotal era.