Cherchen Man

Cherchen Man or Chärchän Man is a mummy discovered near the town of Qiemo (Cherchen) in the Taklamakan Desert, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, western China. Cherchen Man "died around 1000 BC".[1] The mummy is described as: a 3,000 year old male, "6-foot-6-inch giant with Caucasian features" (though Mallory and Mair put his height at no more than 5'5"[2] ), with hair that is "reddish brown flecked with grey, framing high cheekbones", an "aquiline" "long nose, full lips and a ginger beard", whose face is tattooed with "yellow and purple patterns", it wears "a red twill tunic and tartan leggings"; it is also described as looking "like a Bronze Age European", "a Celt".[3][4][5][6] The Tarim Basin mummies are not limited to men. A female mummy was also found and is called Cherchen Woman.[7]

Along with other mummies from the Taklamakan, Cherchen Man was buried in a tomb made of mud bricks topped with reeds and brush. He is especially well-preserved due to the conditions he was buried in. The desert's dry conditions as well as its salty soil provided a suitable climate for mummification. Extremely cold temperatures would have killed any bacteria that contributed to the decay, and the "thick clothes and socks made of rainbow-colored wool"[8] suggest he was buried in the winter. He may have originated from either Europe or North Africa and might have been a farmer who raised sheep, based on his clothing.

See also

References

  1. ↑ J. Hare, The mysteries of the Gobi Desert. Taylor & Francis, 2009.
  2. ↑ Mallory, JP; Mair, Victor H. (2000). The Tarim Mummies. London: Thames & Hudson. p. 190. ISBN 0-500-05101-1.
  3. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/1999/01/13/books/books-of-the-times-silent-giants-as-guides-on-an-ancient-thoroughfare.html
  4. ↑ http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/a-meeting-of-civilisations-the-mystery-of-chinas-celtic-mummies-413638.html
  5. ↑ http://anthropology.net/2009/07/21/otzi-icemans-tattoos-were-born-in-fire/
  6. ↑ J. Hare, The mysteries of the Gobi Desert. Taylor & Francis, 2009.
  7. ↑ Elizabeth, Barber (1999). The Mummies of Urumuch. Macmillan. p. 47.
  8. ↑ (2006). "The Desert Makes MUMMIES". Ask 5(2), 13.