Location: On the top of Mount Jiujun, about 23 km northeast of Liquan County, Shaanxi Province

Period: Tang Dynasty (618-907)

Excavation period：2002, 2003

Shaanxi Provincial Archeological Research Institute, led by Zhang Jianlin

 Findings

Chinese archeologists carried out two excavations in 2002 and 2003 at the North Sima Gate of the Zhaoling Mausoleum of the Tang Dynasty , which is located on top of Mount Jiujun, about 23 km northeast of Liquan County, Shaanxi Province. With an excavation area of 5,100 square meters, the site is about 86 meters long from south to north and 61 meters wide (at its widest point) from west to east.

The ruins are distributed evenly along a west-east axis. A number of cultural relics were identified as foundations of houses, remains of inscribed stone pillars, engraved tomb epitaphs, rectangular bricks, various tiles, animal-headed bricks, etc. Of all the discoveries, the most significant are the remains of the world-famous "Six Horses of the Zhaoling Mausoleum " -- six horses carved on 2.5-meter-high by 3-meter-wide stone slabs and arranged in rows on the eastern and western verandas of the northern gateway. It is said that the six horses were carefully selected from a good breed of Persian horses from the western region.

Another important discovery is the stone engraving "Fourteen Chieftains". In the Tang Dynasty it was common practice to erect inscribed stone pillars in front of tombs and to place engraved epitaphs within tomb chambers. These stone engravings provide excellent examples of the magnificent panorama of early-Tang calligraphy.

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