Princess of Xiaohe
Princess of Xiaohe | |
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Material | Natural mummy |
Created | 1800 BCE |
Discovered | Xiaohe Cemetery |
The Princess of Xiaohe (Chinese: 小河公主) or Little River Princess was found in 2003 at Xiaohe Cemetery in Lop Nur, Xinjiang. She is one of the Tarim mummies, and is known as M11 for the tomb she was found in. Buried approximately 3,800 years ago, she has European and Siberian genes[1][2] and has white skin and red hair. She is unusually well preserved, with clothes, hair, and eyelashes still intact.
Discovery
The Princess of Xiaohe was unearthed by the archaeologists of Xinjiang Institute of Archaeology at
Appearances and grave goods
The Princess has blonde hair and long eyelashes, with some facial features more similar to Indo-Europeans than modern people of the region she was found in, such as high cheekbones and pale skin.[
Chunks of cheese were found on her neck and chest, possibly as food for the afterlife. Archeologists were initially unsure what the clumps on her body were. However, a 2014 study led by Andrej Shevchenko showed that it was cheese. The cheese found on the mummies in this cemetery is the oldest preserved cheese in the world, likely made with a kefir starter.[8][9] Her entire body and boots were also coated in a white substance, likely also a dairy product but so far of unknown origin.[6]
Exhibitions
In 2010, she was exhibited at
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The "Princess of Xiaohe"
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Princess of Xiaohe. Beijing Capital Museum
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The "Princess of Xiaohe" wearing her funeral clothes.
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Another felt hat from Xiaohe.[11]
See also
References
- ^ "新疆美人"小河公主"穿越3500年栩栩如生". 中國新聞網. 2 December 2019. Archived from the original on 12 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ 作者:NICHOLAS WADE,编译:潘婷 (2010). "揭秘死亡罗布泊:考古发现4000年前木乃伊" (in Simplified Chinese). 新华网,来源:南都周刊. Archived from the original on 5 November 2010. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- ^ "Genomic origins of earliest Xinjiang inhabitants date back 9,000 years". www.news.cn. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- ^ "Xinjiang mummy origin mystery solved". www.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- ^ Wong, Edward (19 November 2008). "The Dead Tell a Tale China Doesn't Care to Listen To". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- ^ a b c Yang, Yunyun (2019). Shifting Memories: Burial Practices and Cultural Interaction in Bronze Age China (PDF) (Master's thesis). Uppsala University.
- ^ a b "Silk Road Documentary Unearths Latest Findings". www.china.org.cn. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
- ISSN 0305-4403.
- ^ Watson, Traci. "Great Gouda! World's oldest cheese found - on mummies". USA TODAY. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- ^ 倪伟; 浦峰 (31 October 2019). 白爽 (ed.). ""小河公主"领衔新疆文物进京,北大博物馆年度大展启幕". 新京报. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
- ^ Xin, Xiaoyu (2020). "The Art of Ancient Caps From Small River Cemetery, Xinjiang, China". Atlantis Press: 653, Fig.1.