The practice of burying goods with the deceased appeared widely in China as early as the middle Neolithic period (c. 4,000 B.C.) and continued into the Qing dynasty (1644–1911). This mortuary retinue is remarkable for containing so many pieces: 22 foot soldiers of distinct ethnic types, foreign traders, court attendants, civil and military officials, and a protective guardian. Few such groups have survived intact to accurately represent the large numbers of figures, animals, vessels, and other less permanent articles that were commonly buried to insure the comfort of the deceased in the afterlife. They also provided a proper and very public display of filial piety. This group dates to the early Tang dynasty, but some of its features suggest an earlier period. The ranks of foot soldiers as well as the type of armor worn by the military official are not characteristic of the Tang. However, the style of the civil official’s hat and the figures of the robed attendants and court ladies are representative. The tomb of Zhang Shigui in Shaanxi Province, dated 657, contained figures similar to some of these.