The city's name in Chinese means "The Gorge of Three Gateways" and is derived from two islands that split the Yellow River into three parts. According to Chinese mythology, Yu the Great used a divine axe to cut the mountain ridge three times, creating the Sanmenxia gorges to prevent massive flooding. The three "men" or gates were then named "The Gateway of Man" (??), "The Gateway of Gods" and "The Gateway of Devils." With the construction of the Sanmenxia Dam in the late 1950s, the ancient passes were flooded. During the Western Zhou Dynasty, Sanmenxia was part of the territory of the State of Western Guo, ruled by relatives of the ruling Ji family of Zhou. Guo moved its capital from modern day Baoji to Shangyang), next to Sanmenxia. Later, this territory was annexed the State of Jin. Archaeological finds near Sanmenxia between 1956 and 1991 revealed mass chariot graves and bronze ware of Western Guo State rulers.