Western explorers settled in China more than 1,500 years before Marco Polo, new research has shown, after archaeologists concluded that the Terracotta Warriors could have been made with the help of the Greeks. An extensive study of sites in Xinjiang Province, China, has revealed European-specific mitochondrial DNA, suggesting Westerners travelled, settled and died there before and during the time of the First Emperor — 1,500 years earlier than currently accepted. Lukas Nickel, chair of Asian art history at the University of Vienna, believes the tomb was inspired by Greek statues in the era of Alexander the Great, with DNA evidence adding to his theories. “I imagine that a Greek sculptor may have been at the site to train the locals,” he said. The skull of a young man, thought to be Prince Fu Su, the emperor’s eldest son, was found with a crossbow bolt embedded in it.

Source: National Post October 13, 2016 15:22 UTC