What cultural relics were discovered in Jiangxian County, Shanxi Province?

Recently, a set of "Four Gods" tiles was found in Jubaozhai, Jiangxian County, Shanxi Province.

This set has four tiles, each of which is basically the same size and weight. The tile head is round with a diameter of 18 cm. The crock is semi-circular with a length of 10 cm. There are four gods on the tile head, namely dragon, white tiger, suzaku and Xuanwu pattern.

In ancient times, the "four gods" respectively represented the stars in the east, west, south and north directions of the sky. During the Warring States period, there were clear records of the "Four Gods". By the Han Dynasty, people were more convinced that the Four Gods were closely related to the universe and the five virtues of Yin and Yang, and they had the power to protect the four directions. It is precisely because of this that Wang Mang, who is old, specially decorated his ancestral temple with "four gods" tiles, hoping to drive away evil spirits and protect the ancestral temple and even the country forever. Because this kind of "four gods" tile is dedicated to the nine halls of Wang Mang, it lasts for a short time and is deliberately destroyed, so its existence is quite limited.

According to an article in Collection magazine, "There are only a few state-owned cultural and art collection institutions with complete sets of' Four Gods' tiles, such as Shaanxi History Museum and xi 'an Museum, and one or two or even half pieces of' Four Gods' tiles in private collections are enough to envy Tibetan friends", and this set of' Four Gods' tiles found in Jubaozhai, Jiangxian County has generous edges and corners, rich patterns and exquisite carvings.