Cherchen Man

Cherchen Man or Chärchän Man is a naturally-mummified man discovered in Tomb 2 at the cemetery of Zaghunluq 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 (198 cm) giant with Caucasian features" (though Mallory and Mair put his height at no more than 5'5 (165 cm)"[2]), with hair that is "reddish brown flecked with grey, framing high cheekbones", an "aquiline" "long nose, full lips and a ginger beard", and wearing "a red twill tunic and tartan leggings." The mummy is also described as looking "like a Bronze Age European", "a Celt".[3][4][5][6] Yellow and reddish patterns on the whose face of Cherchen Man have been identified as tattoos in some sources, but are likely preserved ochre paint [7] Also present in Tomb 2 were a female mummy identified as the Cherchen Woman and an infant called the Blue Baby.[8]

Cherchen Man is not the only mummified body to be recovered from the Tarim Basin. As a result of the arid conditions and exceptional preservation, naturally mummified remains have been recovered at sites throughout the region, including Qäwrighul, Yanghai, Shengjindian, Shanpula, and Qizilchoqa.[9] Along with other mummies from the Tarim Basin, 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"[10] 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. ↑ Mallory, JP; Mair, Victor H. (2000). The Tarim Mummies. London: Thames & Hudson. p. 194. ISBN 0-500-05101-1.
  8. ↑ Skinner, Tomás. "The Mummies of Zaghunluq Cemetery: Dress, Appearance and Identity". Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  9. ↑ Deter-Wolf, Aaron; Robitaille, Benoît; Krutak, Lars; Galliot, Sébastien (February 2016). "The World's Oldest Tattoos". Journal of Archaeological Science:Reports 5: 19–24. doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2015.11.007.
  10. ↑ (2006). "The Desert Makes MUMMIES". Ask 5(2), 13.


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