Historian says China's terracotta army belonged to empress

China's famed ancient terracotta army which surrounds the tomb of the nation's first emperor actually belonged to a female ancestor, a historian told a state-owned newspaper Wednesday.

The army of life-sized figures discovered near the northern city of Xi'an is usually thought to be guarding the burial site of Qin Shihuang, who presided over the unification of China in 221 BC and declared himself the first emperor.

But historian Chen Jingyuan told the Global Times he believes the emperor's ancestor Empress Xuan, who died 55 years before Qin's birth, was the real mastermind behind the army.

Chen presents his evidence in his new book "The Truth of Terracotta Warriors," which details discrepancies such as the army's distance from Qin's tomb and the hairstyles and clothes of the warriors which he says indicate they belonged to the empress.

"The hairstyle, the ancient Chinese characters found on some unearthed warriors and other evidence indicate the owner of the warriors was Empress Xuan," he told the paper.

The clothes of the warriors were also painted in many colours, in contrast to the sombre black-clad soldiers of the emperor.

"Empress Xuan, the so-called 'Empress Dowager Cixi of ancient times,' was one of the most powerful women in China's history.

"During her reign, the Qin State was thriving and flourishing. This prosperity meant that this powerful woman had enough money to conduct such a huge project," Chin told the daily.

But other historians and archaeologists disagree with his findings.

Liu Zhancheng, head of the terracotta warriors archaeological team, said there was strong evidence that the first emperor was their rightful owner.

"First, the pit of the warriors is within the territory of Emperor Qin's mausoleum," Liu told the paper.

Also their weapons were inscribed with the name of his prime minister and the warriors shared characteristics with other verified parts of the emperor's mausoleum, he said.

In addition, "in the Qin Dynasty, black was a superior colour. The Qin people wore black during grand occasions, such as sacrificial ceremonies, but there was no need for people to wear black all the time."

The army was discovered in 1974 by a peasant digging a well and up to 5,000 more life-size figures are believed to still be buried and awaiting excavation.

The army was discovered in 1974 by a peasant digging a well and up to 5,000 more life-size figures are believed to still be buried and awaiting excavation.

The army is one of the greatest archaeological finds of modern times, and was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1987.