A Study Of Sui And Tang Epitaphs Unearthed In Southern Hebei And Northern Henan

The epitaph originated in the Qin and Han dynasties,and reached its peak in the Sui and Tang dynasties.It is an indispensable part of the funeral system.It was originally a vehicle for recording the life of the deceased or memorial text,but it has evolved into a product of the class system in its continuous development.The southern Hebei and northern Henan regions are the present geographical concept.As far as the divisions in the Sui and Tang dynasties are concerned,the names have changed a lot,but the regional issues have made the people’s production and life intertwined and inseparable.Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China,242 epitaphs of the Sui and Tang Dynasties have been unearthed in the southern Hebei and northern Henan regions.The area of epitaphs and the number of writing years are proportional to the size of the ancient city,concentrated in the Yecheng area.Most of the epitaphs are stone squares,and the inscriptions on the inscriptions are developed in a way that is common throughout the country,and the specifications are between 30—50 cm.The content of the epitaph gradually became gorgeous,and the signatures of seal script writers were concentrated in the middle and late Tang Dynasty,and the diversity of ornamentation also reached its peak in the late Tang Dynasty.Most of the epitaphs of officials unearthed in the Sui Dynasty were military attachés.The epitaphs of officials unearthed in the Tang Dynasty were concentrated in the lower level,and shogunate officials appeared.The women in the epitaphs of other tomb owners in the Sui and Tang dynasties had a wealthy family background.They were married at the time of marriage and lived happily after marriage,abided by Confucian etiquette and other cultural qualities;the princes admired life in the hills,did not care for fame and wealth,and were unwilling to go to official positions;Buddhism and Taoism spread widely and become part of the spiritual life of the people;children’s families are prominent.Through the study of the epitaphs of the Sui and Tang dynasties unearthed in the southern part of Hebei and northern Henan,we can see the funeral system and social life of the Sui and Tang dynasties in this area.