Tomb beast is a common monster in ancient tombs in China. It is a kind of funerary object, which aims to catch ghosts and protect the souls of the dead from being disturbed. Zhou Li records a monster named elephant, which is delicious to the liver and brain of the dead. There is also a god beast called Fang, which has the ability to expel elephants, so family members often let Fang stand beside the tomb. In case of evil spirits, there is also a legend that Fang has four gold clothes, covered with bearskin, dressed in red and black pants, riding a horse, hitting four corners in the tomb to drive away peace. Liang Fang is also a demon who hurts the dead, and people use the power of Fang to drive them away. Therefore, some scholars believe that the custom of using tomb animals evolved from Fang's legend. According to the double horns on the heads of early tomb animals, it is also speculated that tomb animals should be related to "exorcism" or "ghosts and gods" and "scholars"

According to archaeological findings, the town tomb beast was first seen in the Chu tombs of the Warring States, and it was popular from Wei, Jin to Sui and Tang Dynasties, and gradually disappeared after the Five Dynasties. The tomb animals in the town were mainly made of wood bones for a long time, and there were few pottery. Later, pottery and Tang tricolor were the main ones. Metal and stone products are extremely rare.

Hundreds of woodcarving animals were found in Chu tombs to ward off evil spirits. Mid-Spring and Autumn Period to the Middle and Late Warring States Period. From the middle and late Spring and Autumn Period to the early Warring States Period, most of them were single-headed, and in the middle of the Warring States Period, there were the most styles and quantities, including single-headed and double-headed.

A double-headed "tomb beast" unearthed from tomb Tianxingguan 1 in Jiangling is connected by a double-headed curved neck. The heads of these two animals are carved into a deformed dragon face with big eyes and tongues reaching to the neck. A pair of giant antlers are inserted at each end, and the four corners are opposite. The image is extremely strange and vivid. After the whole body is covered with black paint, animal faces and moire patterns are painted in red, yellow and gold. There are some geometric squares embossed on the square seats, and they are decorated with diamond patterns, moire patterns and animal faces. Huge antlers, well-proportioned animal bodies and steady square bases constitute a mysterious atmosphere.

Unearthed place: TombNo. Tianxingguan 1 Jiangling.

Production year: 170 cm high woodcarving double-headed tomb animal woodcarving double-headed tomb animal consists of a solid square wooden base and two pairs of adult antlers inserted into the animal's body and head. The backs of the two heads are connected with the curved neck, and the two animal heads are carved into deformed dragon faces with wide eyes and tongues reaching the neck. The antlers spread out to the wings, which is magnificent and adds the mystery of the tomb beast. The animal shape in the tomb of the town may be related to Fang. He wore bearskin, hooded mask and hand-held shield, and used his kudzu to hit four corners in the tomb to drive away ghosts. The installation of antlers or wooden antlers on the head of the tomb beast has certain magic power to protect the life of the deceased in the underworld. The widespread use of tomb animals in Chu tombs in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty should be related to their understanding of the underworld. After Chu appeared, the tomb beast spread outward, and then the tomb ghost appeared everywhere, and gradually disappeared after the Five Dynasties. The beast in the tomb of the woodcarving double-headed town looks like a man and a beast, giving people a feeling of ferocious terror. The back of the tomb beast is connected by two curved necks, and the two animal heads are carved into deformed dragon faces, huge eyes and a long tongue extending to the neck. Insert a pair of huge antlers at each end. The antlers are forked, the branches are wrong, and they change sideways. The image is extremely strange and vivid. After the whole body is covered with black paint, the painted animal face pattern, cross-linked moire, geometric square and diamond pattern are mysterious and magical. This is the most grotesque and spectacular tomb animal sculpture in Chu Tomb Town. Xi Archaeologists excavated an ancient tomb of the Tang Dynasty in Qu Wei, Chang 'an District, and it is rare to find a tomb of a beast town with a face. The tomb is 7.5 meters above the ground, with a long slope and two patios. The owner of the tomb was Wang Shitong, and his official position in the Tang Dynasty was "Zuo Jianmen Fu joined the army". The epitaph shows off the prominence of the tomb owner's family as an official for generations. His great-grandfather, grandfather and father all held important official positions in the Northern Wei and Sui Dynasties. Wang Shitong died at the age of 66 and was buried with his wife in Gaoping Township, Wannian County near Chang 'an City. In the tombs, archaeologists unearthed tomb animals, warrior figures, male standing figures, knight figures, copper plates, copper cans, copper cans and Kaiyuan Bao Tong coins. The owner of the tomb is holding a small stone pig in his right hand bone. Experts explained that the funeral custom of "holding a pig" has been circulating in China for a long time. Pigs symbolize wealth, and tombs with high status and rich families often hold jade pigs. Zhang Quanmin, a researcher at the Archaeological Research Institute in charge of the excavation, said that a beast with a human face was found at the entrance of the tomb, and it was still painted with bright colors. It can be described as the "Sphinx". The tomb beast in this town is only 20 cm high and 10 cm wide, but its head looks like the face of an ancient ordinary person with a kind and gentle face. Whether it coincides with the ancient Egyptian Sphinx is worth studying.