The Mummies of Urumchi

by Barber, Elizabeth Wayland

• ISBN13: 9780393045215
• ISBN10: 0393045218
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-01-01
• Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc

Summary

A fascinating exploration of the mysterious, perfectly preserved Caucasian mummies of western China. In the museums of A¥rAYmchi, the windswept regional capital of the Uyghur Autonomous Region in Western China-what we know as Chinese Turkestan-a collection of ancient mummies lay at the center of an enormous mystery. Some of A¥rAYmchi's mummies date back as far as 4,000 years-contemporary to the famous Egyptian mummies, but even more beautifully preserved, especially their clothing. Surprisingly, these prehistoric people are not Oriental but Caucasian-tall and large-nosed and blond with round eyes (probably blue). Where did they come from? What were these blonds doing in the foothills of the Himalayas? Few gifts are put into the graves of the dead, making it difficult for archaeologists to pinpoint any cultural connections from clues offered by their pottery and tools. But their clothing-woolens that rarely survive more than a few centuries-has been preserved as brightly hued as the day each was made. Elizabeth Wayland Barber describes these remarkable mummies, their clothing, and the world to which they so mysteriously belonged, piecing together their history and peculiar Western connections both from what she saw in A¥rAYmchi and from the testimony of those who explored along the Silk Road centuries earlier. The result is an entertaining and informative unveiling of an ancient and exotic world.

Author Biography

Elizabeth Wayland Barber, archaeologist, linguist, and a world authority on ancient textiles, teaches at Occidental College in California

Table of Contents

Preface	11	(17)
Mystery Mummies	17	(6)
A Man with Ten Hats	23	(24)
Plus Three Women and a Baby	47	(24)
The ``Beauty of Loulan''	71	(18)
The Early Explorers	89	(22)
Tokharians and Other Hairy Barbarians	111	(20)
Hami and Hallstatt	131	(18)
The Oasis Hoppers and Their Kin	149	(20)
Pulses in the Heart of a Continent	169	(28)
Sands of the Silk Road, Sands of Time	197	(18)
Notes on Sources	215	(12)
Bibliography	227	(6)
Index	233