Franklin Institute Opening Terracotta Warrior Exhibit
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A local museum gets a new exhibition that's more than two millennia in the making.
For the first time in 34 years, the Terracotta Warrior clay statues from China are here in Philadelphia.
"Really a unique exhibition, probably one of the greatest archaeological finds of this century," said Larry Dubinski, President of the Franklin Institute.
These ancient works of art were constructed more than 2,000 years ago to protect to tomb of China's first Emperor, but for the next five months the Franklin Institute will play host to 10 of the more than 8,000 statues.
Dubinski says this 16,000 square foot exhibit gives visitors a chance to learn about the past by using the technology of tomorrow.
That's because each of the statues comes equipped with augmented reality, a technology that lets visitors capture the exhibits on their phones and bring them to life to learn more about them.
"The augmented reality gets you right up close so that you can see every piece of the terracotta," Dubinski said. "We've added on and layered what weapons were used at that point in time, how they were made, and we'll provide some additional information for people who want to go more in depth."
The Warriors are joined by 160 artifacts including currency and molds, and a movie about the mysteries of China.
The exhibit opens to the public on Saturday, September 30th.