Fifty years since the discovery of the hoard of life-sized terracotta warriors in the Lintong County mausoleum of China’s first emperor, archaeologists have uncovered a rare new figure resembling a senior army commander.

Since 1994, archaeological teams in China have unearthed more than 2,000 of the warriors, created in the 3rd century B.C.E., as well as other military artifacts within the tomb complex which covers 20 square miles. It has been estimated that there may be as many as 8,000 unique figures buried beneath the mausoleum.

This marks the first time a military commander has been found since excavations began in 1994. The commander was found in Pit Number 2, where excavations resumed in 2015, nearly 20 years after it was first explored in 1994. Thousands of figures have been discovered, including animals, entertainers, and a small number of higher-ranking officials.

“Based on its location, we believe this figure was likely the highest-ranking military commander of this unit,” the head of the Pit 2 excavation project, archaeologist Zhu Sihong, told Chinese newspaper Global Times.

Qin Shi Huang (also known as Shihuangdi) was the founder of the Qin Dynasty and the first emperor of unified China when he began his rule in 221 B.C.E. He was known as a strict ruler with a focus on network building, military power, and organizing China into a unified empire. He organized China into 40 provinces and created laws, measurements, and the writing system uniform across the country; defensive walls he commissioned in the north of China became part of the Great Wall of China.

Qin’s mausoleum was built over the course of nearly four decades by 700,000 laborers from each province of the empire. It is believed that he commissioned the terracotta warriors with the hope that the army would protect him in the afterlife.

The First Emperor of Qin Terracotta Army is seen in Xi ‘an, Shaanxi province, China, July 7, 2011. Photo: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images.

The terracotta army was discovered by accident in 1974, when a local farmer found a pottery fragment in his field while preparing to build a wall, leading to a formal dig of the area which developed into 50 years of excavations. The army has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1987, and more than two million people visit the Terracotta Warriors Museum each year.

The terracotta commander was discovered alongside three other figures, identified as charioteers, and three horses. Only 10 high-level officers have been found so far, and archaeologists are heralding the new discovery as significant to the understanding of the organization of the Qin Dynasty military. Experts are able to identify the figurines’ rank based on their clothing and postures; generals keep their hands clasped in front of their bodies and wear detailed ornamental armor.