The restoration of the largest archaelogical discovery--a chemical problem: conservation of the polychromy of the Chinese terracotta army in Lintong.

The conservation of the polychromy of the terracotta army of the first Chinese emperor Qin Shihuangdi represents a special problem because of the deterioration of the ground layer consisting of organic material. This was triggered due to it having spent more than 2200 years in water-saturated soil. The consolidation of the polychromy was achieved through polymerisation of a specially adapted combination of monomers.