There really is nothing quite like a massive tomb to say “Look at me! I was really, really important!” Time is the great equalizer, forgetting most men and turning great men into trivia questions (just look at this list and tell us how many of these guys you’ve ever heard of), but if you’ve got the cash, the ego, and (usually) the slave labor to do it, you can leave behind some really kickin’ reminders of how awesome you used to be. Like, for example:
1. The Mausoleum of the First Emperor
If you’re a Chinese emperor, you’re pretty much expected to go out in style, especially when you’d just managed to create said empire out of a collection of obnoxious warring states that had been trying to wipe each other out for a couple of centuries. The epitome of Chinese death fashion has got to be the tomb of the First Emperor. Sure, he has a bunch of terracotta warriors, but he also has crossbow deathtraps and a model river made out of mercury with little ships floating on it. Nothing says “I’m disgustingly rich and powerful” quite like a scale model of a major river made of a toxic liquid metal. And before you ask, no, Indiana Jones has not raided this temple. In fact, they’re still trying to dig it up, thanks to all that poisonous mercury, and those awesome crossbow traps.
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