Mummified bodies have been found across the Tarim Basin in Xinjiang, northwestern China, which date back to around 4,000 years ago. Questions over the origins of this population have divided scientists.
The enigmatic, extremely well-preserved mummies still defy explanation—and draw controversy.
The mummies of Eastern Central Asia (hereafter ECA) first entered my consciousness in the summer of 1988. I had heard […]
A genomic analysis of human remains from the Bronze Age provides insights into the origin of the Tarim Basin mummies from the Xinjiang region.
The mummies of Eastern Central Asia (hereafter ECA) first entered my consciousness in the summer of 1988. I had heard […]
Please note: This is the story of the journey to examine the Tarim beret. The substantive details of the examination will be published in an appropriate venue, but the journey itself was an interes…
Mummified bodies have been found across the Tarim Basin in Xinjiang, northwestern China, which date back to around 4,000 years ago. Questions over the origins of this population have divided scientists.
A comment on my blog recently reminded me of the Tocharians, a Caucasian people that expaneded out into the Western parts of China. They were an Indo-European people, with the standard fair skin an…
The mummies of Eastern Central Asia (hereafter ECA) first entered my consciousness in the summer of 1988. I had heard […]
I am working on compiling a list of all the extant felt items I can find in historical order. First the Tarim Mummies and related finds then I will move on to S. I. Rudenko’s “Frozen T…
Passing through Urumqi on your Xinjiang trip? Then you must read this guide to the Urumqi Grand Bazaar and Xinjiang Museum.
This post is a summary of information on the Tarim Basin mummies; research shows that admixture of Western and Eastern Eurasian populations must have taken place at some point deep into Antiquity.
The mummies of Eastern Central Asia (hereafter ECA) first entered my consciousness in the summer of 1988. I had heard […]
Since their discovery, the ancestry of hundreds of mummified bodies buried in boats in an inhospitable desert region of northwest China has divided archaeologists.
Since their discovery, the ancestry of hundreds of mummified bodies buried in boats in an inhospitable desert region of northwest China has divided archaeologists.
(Phys.org) —A team of researchers working in the ancient Yanghai graveyard in China's Tarim Basin has uncovered what appears to be the earliest example of trouser wearing. The research team has published a paper in the journal Quaternary International describing the pants and why they were likely developed to assist with riding horses.
Though these ancient settlers of China were culturally cosmopolitan, their DNA turns out to have been completely distinct from the communities with which they interacted.
Background The Tarim Basin in western China, known for its amazingly well-preserved mummies, has been for thousands of years an important crossroad between the eastern and western parts of Eurasia. Despite its key position in communications and migration, and highly diverse peoples, languages and cultures, its prehistory is poorly understood. To shed light on the origin of the populations of the Tarim Basin, we analysed mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms in human skeletal remains excavated from the Xiaohe cemetery, used by the local community between 4000 and 3500 years before present, and possibly representing some of the earliest settlers. Results Xiaohe people carried a wide variety of maternal lineages, including West Eurasian lineages H, K, U5, U7, U2e, T, R*, East Eurasian lineages B, C4, C5, D, G2a and Indian lineage M5. Conclusion Our results indicate that the people of the Tarim Basin had a diverse maternal ancestry, with origins in Europe, central/eastern Siberia and southern/western Asia. These findings, together with information on the cultural context of the Xiaohe cemetery, can be used to test contrasting hypotheses of route of settlement into the Tarim Basin.
Subeshi is a lost city located near Kucha in the Taklamakan Desert in China’s Tarim Basin on the ancient Silk Road in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The city played a key role in the introduction of Buddhism to China. Three female mummies of Subeshi were found wearing tall, pointed black hats of felted wool that resemble the stereotypical headgear of traditional witches, and dated to between the 4th and 2nd centuries BC They were located in a high gorge just to the east of the city of Tur
This post is a summary of information on the Tarim Basin mummies; research shows that admixture of Western and Eastern Eurasian populations must have taken place at some point deep into Antiquity.
The Xiaohe Tombs in Xinjiang, rediscovered in 2000, contain 330 burials and 15 intact mummies, revealing insights into an ancient and enigmatic civilization.
A comment on my blog recently reminded me of the Tocharians, a Caucasian people that expaneded out into the Western parts of China. They were an Indo-European people, with the standard fair skin an…
Background The Tarim Basin in western China, known for its amazingly well-preserved mummies, has been for thousands of years an important crossroad between the eastern and western parts of Eurasia. Despite its key position in communications and migration, and highly diverse peoples, languages and cultures, its prehistory is poorly understood. To shed light on the origin of the populations of the Tarim Basin, we analysed mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms in human skeletal remains excavated from the Xiaohe cemetery, used by the local community between 4000 and 3500 years before present, and possibly representing some of the earliest settlers. Results Xiaohe people carried a wide variety of maternal lineages, including West Eurasian lineages H, K, U5, U7, U2e, T, R*, East Eurasian lineages B, C4, C5, D, G2a and Indian lineage M5. Conclusion Our results indicate that the people of the Tarim Basin had a diverse maternal ancestry, with origins in Europe, central/eastern Siberia and southern/western Asia. These findings, together with information on the cultural context of the Xiaohe cemetery, can be used to test contrasting hypotheses of route of settlement into the Tarim Basin.
Since their discovery, the ancestry of hundreds of mummified bodies buried in boats in an inhospitable desert region of northwest China has divided archaeologists.
Since their discovery, the ancestry of hundreds of mummified bodies buried in boats in an inhospitable desert region of northwest China has divided archaeologists.
The mummies of Eastern Central Asia (hereafter ECA) first entered my consciousness in the summer of 1988. I had heard […]
