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This set of Pottery Zodiac Figurines which belonged to the Tang Dynasty, was excavated in 1955 from a tomb in the suburbs of Xian in Shaanxi. Measure 38-41.5 cm (14.8 - 16.1 inches), these figurines have human bodies and animal heads representing the 12 zodiac signs.
Groups of twelve animals had appeared by the Zhan Guo (Warring States) Period, and the identity of the animals fixed by the Han Dynasty. The practice of determining one's year of birth by the twelve zodiac signs became popular during the North Zhou Dynasty (557-581 A.D.). By the Sui (581-618 A.D.) and Tang Dynasties, the twelve zodiac animals were widely engraved in varying styles on tombstones and utensils. The custom of calculating the year based on a "Jia Zi of" sixty years (5 cycles of the 12 zodiac animals) and the practice of identifying one's age by the zodiac animal are still popular today.
