X is for Xinjiang: Tarim Mummies

In the desert region of Xinjiang, China, a fascinating find was discovered in a desert area in 1978: the mummified remains of people appearing to be of European descent, but dating back to a significant amount of time before Europeans were said to have made it to China.

1910 photo of a Tarim Mummy
Aurel Stein

These bodies had not been purposely mummified. Instead, the dry, hot environment dried their skin out so quickly that it was even better preserved than those purposely mummified, such as the Egyptians. They were buried in small chambers in a fetal position, simple goods laid with them, such as food, combs, needles, etc. They were dressed in felt boots, leather and colorful dyed wool, with some wearing distinctive hats resembling our modern idea of a witch's hat. Purple was a prevalent clothing color. They had blond, red or light brown hair, and the hair of many of the females was braided.

There was a family buried together, parents and children. One man showed evidence of sutures on his neck, showing someone had treated him medically. They were laid upon straw mats and wooden logs.

The Chinese have been excavating these burial sites for over sixteen years now, and have dated the mummies to between 3000 BC and 300 BC.

The remnants of spoked wheels were found, but wheels such as these didn't appear in China for another 800 years. They were, however, found in the Ukraine during this time period.

Chinese texts speak of an alien barbarian race, called the Yuezhi or Wusun. Perhaps these are those people, and they weren't alien after all, just European.

This discovery has shaken everything historians have known about European influence in China. It has long been thought that China was self-contained and only spread influence out, not in, but these bodies change that assumption. Unfortunately, due to political unrest and lack of funds, they haven't been able to put much into researching these mummies to find the necessary answers.

It's a fascinating subject that I don't have much time to touch on (what with keeping these posts short and all), but if you'd like to read a good article on the subject, you can go here.

So, why were these obviously European people in a region they weren't supposed to have reached yet? Did they spread the use of spoked wheels and animal-drawn carts? Were they in contact with the Chinese long before they were thought to have been? If so, why did they not spread farther into China, and why were they forgotten? Were they the barbarians spoken of as alien beings?

May you find your Muse.