The Takla Makan Mummies
Dry, desiccating conditions resulted in an equally intriguing set of natural mummies in the Xinjiang province of northwest China. The Takla Makan desert, in the barren Tarim Basin, has perfectly preserved a number of bodies buried along the former route of the Great Silk Road that ran through the region. The dry heat and alkaline conditions have allowed the corpses and their grave good to survive the test of time -and so preserve a perplexing mystery.
Takla Makan’s mummies date from the Bronze Age to 2,000 years ago, a time when Tarim basin was lush and fertile, sustained by the waters of the Tarim River- until its course altered in the fourth century AD. Grave goods suggest the earliest mummies were part of the area’s agricultural communities. Mummies such as the Beauties of Loulan and Xiaohe who were buried with woven grain baskets and a winnowing trays. The mummies also wore clothes of textiles and styles that bear a startling resemblance to styles and weaves found in northern European and the Caucuses at the time. Some of the later mummies, such as Yinpang man even wore clothing similar to those of the Roman Empire.
Proximity to a trade route could explain some of these cultural anomalies. But there is a problem: the ethnic origin of the mummies. Most have red-brown or blond hair and European features. DNA analysis has confirmed their Caucasian origins, with genetic markers suggesting a convergence of groups from Siberia, and northern and Eastern Europe. The problem is, it was believed that the first European settlers in the Tarim Basin didn’t arrive until the twelfth century AD.
Victor Mair, Professor of Chinese language and literature at the University of Pennsylvania believes the mummies were Tocharians – Indo-European herders who traveled east across the central Asian steppes. But the mummies remain a source of controversy in China and beyond.