Gao Lishi is the most celeberated eunuch in China’s history.He served the emperor Tang Xuan zong (Li longji) all his life,and gained almost the first rank official position.At 762 A.D.,he was died in his 73,and was buried near the emperor’s mausoleum named Tai Ling next year,which located at Shanxi village,Pucheng county. The tomb composed of a vamp,four narrow patios-like spaces,three passages,six niches,a brick corridor and tomb chamber,simple murals were painted on the both side of the ramp,the corridor and the chamber wall,but most of them were destroyed.Fancy patterns were carved on the surfuces of the stone tomb-gate and the stone coffin bed.More than two handred pottery statues were found in the miches,including housemen,servants and animals such as horses,pigs,camels,dogs,rabbits and so on.Some bones found in the coffin bed have been authenticated that belong to a man older than sixty.It is unusaal that the epitaph stone is vectangular.The epitaph narrated Gao’s original name,ancestry,feats,official positions and his fanmily,ect. Excavation of this tomb provide valuable date for the research of Tang dynasty history,and we can see that Gao Lishi was down and out at his death from the tomb stucture and the relics.
Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology Lu Sili and his wife’s tomb was excavated at Yangcun village,Guodu township,Chang’an district,Xi’an city,in March,2003.It was consisted of a tomb passage,an arched passage,a light well,an underground passage and a tomb chamber.67 itemb of well-preserved potteries,porcelains and jades were discovered in the tomb chamber,including the pottery figurines of human and animals,the porcelain jars and light,and the stone epitaph.The owners of this tomb were Lu Sili and his wife Xin.They lived and died in West Wei dynasty ,but were buried in Sui dynasty.Lu was Qibing Shangshu(七兵尚书)of West Wei,which a kind of military officer,the third class.He was died at his age of 38,in 538A.D.;the second year,his wife was died at her age of 24.They were buried together in 592 A.D.Xi’an was used to be the capital of Sui dynaety,but there are no more than thirty Sui tombs have been found in Xi’an by now.Excavation of this tomb provided new data for the research of the burial institution,art and social life of Sui dynasty.
Lying in the north outskirts of Xi’an,the tomb of Anjia(安伽)which belonged to the BeiZhou dynasty is composed of a long sloping qassage ,five shafts,ine vaulted passage and an large arched roof brick-chamber.It is not only rather to mb up to now .A stone gate being in good condition and astone painted-enclosing- bed decor ated with scilptires and covdition with gold leaf were unearthed.The exquisiyte patterns and figures on the gate and bed reappeared vicidly the scenes of sacrificing of pyrolatry (祆教)procession,hunting,feast ing,dancing,saily life,nation r elation and traveling businessmen of Sogdian (粟特)The discovery provides valuab le materials for the research of culture exchanges of China and the West,the dis semination of pyrilatry(祆教) .in ancient China s acrificing and burial customs o f believer of pyrolatrg(祆教)On the other hand,th e excvation also declared that the Center Government of BeiZhou dynasty had set up the special offocial positio n ──Sabao(萨保)in the Capital and other states to run the foreign businessman.
Yin Zhongrong Couple’s tomb was found and excavated at Guodu township,Chang’an district,the southern suburban of Xi’an city,in August,2004.It was consisted of a tomb passage,two arched passages,rectangular light wells,four little niches,an underground passage and tomb chamber.55 items were discovered in this tomb,including pottery figurines of human and animals,a stone coffin,two pieces of stone epitaphs,eet.The owners of the tomb were buried in 703 A.D.Although the buried articles of this tomb were not abundant,they had the typical characteristic of that time.Mr.Yin Zhongrong(633～703),one of the owners of this tomb,whose highest official rank was the forth class,was the famous calligraphist at the Early period of Tang dynasty.His calligraphy was kept in the of ZhaoLing Mausoleum,Emperor Tang Tai Zong’s tomb.His father—in—law was Mr.Yan Shigu(颜师古),the well—known writer or in Tang dynasty.Both Yin’s and Yan’s were very important families in literature and art from Northern dynasties to Tang.
Wei Shenming’s tomb was found and excavated at Weiqu township,Chang’an district,Xi’an city,in September,2002 It was a typical tomb of a governmental officer of prosperous period of Tang dynasty It was consisted of a tomb passage,three arched passages and light wells at lest,four untouched little niches,and an underground passage and tomb chember which made of bricks 240 items of well-preserved and colourful pottery figurines of human and animals discovered on their original places in the little niches There were murals on the walls of tomb chember Espicially on the west wall there were six pictures liked screen,each picture was painted a woman under a tree who rode a horse This kind of theme was infrequnt before in tomb murals The owners of this tomb were Wei Shenming and his wife, Liu Yue Wei was a member of the celebrated Wei’s(韦氏家族) family of Tang dynasty He was appointed to be the highest administrative officer of Peng state (彭州刺史),and died at his age of 76 After death,he and his wife were buried in his hometown,Chang’an,in 736 A D Many Tang dynasty tombs of Wei’s have been found in Chang’an district by now,and all of the owners of those tombs were high class officers of Tang government This tomb is very important for the research of the Wei’s
Xinhua site is located at Shenmu county in northern Shaanxi Province. 3362.5 square meters has been excavated and hundreds of ancient cultural relics and many kinds of animals bones have been brought to light.Especially,a sacrificial pit is unearthed which contains 32 pieces exquisite jadewares.According to the chronology and periodization of Chinese archaeology,the date of Xinhua site should be contemporary to the date of late period of Longshan Culture and Xia Dynasty.The Xinhua Complex characterized by Li(鬲) and tripod urn(三足瓮)should be different from the cultures in middle China.Meanwhile,it also takes on some similarity with Taosi and KeshengzhuangⅡculture.The excavation thus supplied important materials for the exploration of the position of Xinhua site in the origination of the early Chinese civilization.
