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The world-renowned terra-cotta warriors and horses unearthed from the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, or the first emperor of Qin dynasty (221-206 B.C.), were probably fired nearby, scientists have concluded after three years' hard work.

"This is the first step toward confirming the kiln sites, and before uncovering the secret of how the terra-cotta warriors and horses were made in ancient times," said Prof. Gao Zhengyao at Zhengzhou University in central China's Henan province, who was involved in the study.

How the ancient statues were made in the Qin Dynasty, the first feudal dynasty in Chinese history, remains a riddle since more than 7,000 terra cottas were first unearthed in 1974.

Researchers from Zhengzhou University, the Beijing Normal University and Qin Shihuang Tomb Museum in Shaanxi province, northwest China, have been seeking answers to the mystery since 1999.

"It is hard to imagine how so many terra-cotta warriors and horses were made during the very brief dynasty, which existed 2000 years ago, as it would take months to duplicate one by modern means," said Gao.

The research team adopted microelement-analysis, a method that had been used worldwide for studying ancient ceramic wares, to deduce where the statues were made.

Their findings that the kiln sites were around the Qin Shi Huang Tomb was accepted by archaeologists from approximately 20 countries at the recently-ended International Forum on Ancient Ceramics Science and Technology held in Shanghai.