On the 15th, it was learned from the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology that archaeologists discovered rare images such as high bun figurines, giant eared standing figurines, and pan horned deer in the Tang Dynasty Fufeng Ban family tomb located in Yangcun, Xi'an. These images should be closely related to Taoist doctrine and provide new important clues for the study of Taoist culture, mythological images, and character images.
It is reported that the tomb owner, Lady Fufeng Ban, became the magistrate of Chu and married the Minister of Justice, Wang Ang, at the age of 16. At the age of 50, she became a Taoist and passed away at the age of 62. She was buried in Fengqiyuan in the 12th year of the Tang Dynasty's Zhenyuan era (796 AD). The epitaph mentions the husband of the tomb owner, "Wang Gongang, the Minister of Justice of the Ministry of Justice", which is briefly recorded in the "Old Book of Tang". The fact that the Fufeng Ban family did not bury her husband together may be related to her practice in Taoism and Wang Ang's eventual death after crossing the Xiajiang River.
The Tang Dynasty was a golden period for the development of Taoist culture, and the admiration for Taoism led to an increase in the number of followers. With a large number of women from the royal family entering the Tao for cultivation, the number of female crowns in the Tang Dynasty also increased significantly. According to the epitaph records, the Ban family of Fufeng was a Tang Dynasty female coronation, and the epitaph often reflects Taoist culture. The Xianyi Temple mentioned in the epitaph was a famous Taoist temple in Chang'an City at that time.
The high bun figurines, giant eared figurines, and pan horned deer unearthed from tombs are extremely rare among the discovered Tang Dynasty pottery figurines, "said Shi Sheng, a curator at the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology. Based on data records and the identity of the tomb owner's female crown, these uniquely shaped pottery figurines should be closely related to Taoist culture. Among them, the high bun figurines and giant eared figurines are speculated to be images of Taoist immortals.
In addition, archaeologists also discovered the Tang Dynasty tomb of Yang Shou and his wife Changsun in Yangcun, where pottery jars, figurines, camels, epitaphs, and other items were found. According to the epitaph, Yang Shou is a descendant of Yang Zhen, the Grand Commandant of the Eastern Han Dynasty. From the final official position on Yang Shou's tomb epitaph, it can be seen that his rank was not higher than eighth grade.
Shi Sheng said that the two Tang Dynasty tombs excavated this time have relatively good preservation conditions, both of which have unearthed epitaphs with clear chronology, enriching the data of mid to late Tang Dynasty tombs in Xi'an area. There are a large number and diverse types of pottery figurines unearthed from the two tombs, providing valuable physical materials for the study and restoration of the burial system of pottery figurines in the mid to late Tang Dynasty. The epitaphs unearthed from two tombs are of great significance for the study of the funeral system of lower level officials in the mid to late Tang Dynasty, the separation of husband and wife burials and marriage and family relationships in the mid to late Tang Dynasty, as well as the relationship between Tang Dynasty women's crowns and Taoist culture. (Looking into the New Era)