First discovery of Tang Dynasty tombs in Shanxi province

A group of ancient tombs were discovered in Linfen city's Xizhao archaeological site in the southwest of Shanxi province.

The Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology announced on July 6 that this includes 62 newly discovered sites spanning the Xia (21st century-16th century BC), Eastern Zhou (770-256 BC), Han (206 BC-220 AD), Tang (AD 618-907), Yuan (1271-1368), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. Twelve tombs from the Tang Dynasty are especially significant because they mark the first time that Tang-era artifacts in Shanxi have ever included annals, or yearly records.

Artifacts unearthed at Xizhao's archaeological site in Linfen city in the southwest of Shanxi province, as announced on July 6, 2014.[Photo by pingyao.gov.cn]

The Xizhao archaeological site is located 100 meters from Xizhao village and covers an area of 600,000 square meters. The archaeological project lasted from November 2013 to January 2014, and excavated artifacts included pottery, clay figurines, porcelain, gilt bronze ware, silverware, bones, glassware and tombstones.

The tombstones were perhaps the site's most important discovery. Apart from the 12 from the Tang Dynasty, one is from the Yuan Dynasty, 26 are from the Ming and Qing dynasties and one's origin is unknown. According to Wang Jinping, director of the Houma Station of the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology, the twelve Tang Dynasty tombs in particular have provided an exceptionally rich body of historical detail for the study of the Tang Dynasty.