Tarim mummies.
Tarim mummies. The Tarim mummies are a series of naturally mummified corpses discovered in the Tarim Basin in present-day Xinjiang, China, which date from 2100 BC to the first centuries BC. The first bodies were discovered in the early 20th century. Around 330 graves have been found in the region, and although the people who originally dug them have not been identified, their DNA shows they have Eastern European, Central Asian, and Siberian heritage. These tombs include adults and children, the majority of the coffins were made of wood, and were shaped like boats, buried upside down. Clothes and jewelry found in the tomb were also buried alongside the mummies, in small baskets, and the bodies were wrapped in cowhide and wool. This prevented sand from getting inside the corpses. In addition to the wood coffins, four clay-covered rectangular coffins were also found, surrounded by stakes. The well-preserved clothing is very similar to Western European styles. The Tarim Basin is...