Princess of Xiaohe
3,800 year old mummy found in China
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Key Takeaways
- The Princess of Xiaohe (Chinese: 小河公主 ) or Little River Princess was found in 2003 at the Xiaohe Cemetery in Lop Nur, Xinjiang.
- Buried approximately 3,800 years ago, she has European and Siberian genes and has white skin and red hair.
- Discovery The Princess of Xiaohe was unearthed by the archaeologists of Xinjiang Institute of Archaeology at the Xiaohe Cemetery No.
- They named her the Princess of Xiaohe due to her state of preservation and beauty, not her social status; there is no reason to believe she was any more important than the other mummies buried in the complex.
- She is unusually well preserved, with long eyelashes, clothes, and hair still intact.
The Princess of Xiaohe (Chinese: 小河公主) or Little River Princess was found in 2003 at the 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 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 the Xiaohe Cemetery No. 5, Tomb 11, 102 km (63 mi) west of Loulan, Lop Nur, Xinjiang in 2003. They named her the Princess of Xiaohe due to her state of preservation and beauty, not her social status; there is no reason to believe she was any more important than the other mummies buried in the complex. She was part of the Xiaohe culture, and was buried around 3,800 years ago. She is unusually well preserved, with long eyelashes, clothes, and hair still intact. Archeologists attribute this to the dry, salty conditions in the desert and tightly sealed coffins, which were wrapped in cowhide before being buried. As the cowhide dried out, it shrunk, sealing the coffins. Her body was not embalmed before death, but mummified naturally due to the climate and burial method.
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