On June 18th , news came from the Sanmenxia City Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology. 58 ancient tombs were discovered in Sanmenxia and 239 exquisite cultural relics were unearthed. Among them, the most eye-catching set of epitaphs unearthed from the M61 tomb became the highlight of the archaeological discovery .

It is understood that from early May to mid-June, archaeologists in Sanmenxia discovered a Tang Dynasty tomb complex at the Yellow River New City construction site. The excavation began on May 10th and ended on June 15th. In order to cooperate with the construction of the Yellow River New City project and protect the national underground cultural relics from loss, the Sanmenxia Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology conducted rescue archaeological excavations of ancient tombs within the construction site . A total of 58 tombs were discovered in this excavation, including 1 tomb in the Northern Dynasty, 35 tombs in the Tang Dynasty, 3 tombs in the Song Dynasty, 19 tombs in the Ming and Qing dynasties including some unknown tombs. The unearthed cultural relics include pottery, porcelain, copper, iron, gold, etc. A total of 239 pieces (sets) of stones, etc. Pottery includes pots, bottles, ware holders, etc. porcelain includes pots, pillows, boxes, cups, jars, etc., bronzes include mirrors, headwear, eyebrow clips, coins, etc., and gold ware includes gold hairpins.

According to Han Pengxiang, the relevant person in charge of Sanmenxia Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute: “Some of the tombs found in this archeological discovery are concentrated, and these tombs are similar in shapes and utensils, which may belong to family tombs.” The M61 tomb that attracted the most attention this time was its date, which was presumed to be the Tang Dynasty, it was located in the east of the excavation area, it is a stepped earth cave tomb with a patio in the north-south direction. It is composed of a tomb passage, patio, and tomb room. There are 25 pieces of burial objects unearthed, including: 1 set of epitaphs, 1 piece of copper mirror, 1 piece of lacquer basin, etc. Han Pengxiang said: "The set of epitaphs found in the tomb of M61 is one of the highlights of this archeological discovery. Next, we will interpret this set of epitaphs in full text, which will have an in-depth understanding on the life of the owner of the tomb and his time. ."

It is understood that the epitaph has a very precious historical value as a written material that records the name, family history and life deeds of the owner of the tomb. The unearthed epitaphs provided extremely precious historical materials for the study of social politics, economy, culture, calligraphy, art, and folk customs at that time. The epitaphs found in the M61 tombs are well preserved and are of great value to the study of the humanities of Tang Dynasty in this area.

Han Pengxiang said: "The Tang and Song cultural relics unearthed in this cemetery provide new materials for the study of the social production and life of the Tang and Song Dynasties and the funeral system in western Henan. At the same time, these tombs with clear dates, their tomb styles and unearthed artifacts provide the basis for archaeological dating ."