Emperor Qin Shi Huang

259 BCE – 210 BCE

Considered by many scholars to be the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang was also the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty, coming to the throne at the tender age of 13 and asserting control at the age of 38. From 220 BCE to 210 BCE, Qin Shi Huang succeeded in unifying the seven warring states of ancient China. He began the construction of the Great Wall as a defensive measure against invasion from the north, established a universally accepted currency, and standardised units of measure. The emperor is famous for being buried with the terracotta army of thousands of soldiers, horses and chariots, which was discovered by chance in 1974 in the Shaanxi province.