Loulan Beauty (1800 BC): Known as the Loulan Beauty, this mummy is one of 200 mummies found in the western desert of Xinjiang. She ended her life on the Silk Road, at a time when it was believed that no European would go so far. However, her high cheekbones and high nose bridge show off an exotic look. She died in her 40s, dressed in a red robe and neatly combed hair, perhaps in the style of the most fashionable 3,800 years ago. Amazingly, time has frozen her face, she was a beautiful woman in the past and today, with a tall figure and delicate facial features. And she was not alone, she was accompanied by another mummy, who was 6 feet tall. The two mummies lay buried alongside hundreds of other compatriots found in the same area, posing a fascinating mystery and a demonstration of the diversity of Silk Road travelers far beyond what was previously imagined.
The Loulan beauty was discovered during a film shoot in 1980. Although the mummies were buried in relatively shallow tombs and were not carefully embalmed, they were in a much better state than those found in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. The reason for this is the perfect antiseptic effect of the dry soil of the salt lake where they are located. Today, the Loulan beauty rests in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum, designed as an embalmed glass box. She is more like Snow White than a sleeping princess, though she cannot be revived by a prince's kiss. Her years were no fairy tale. She died on a strenuous journey, traveling the Silk Road to an unknown destination, inhaling a toxic mixture of dust, sand, and smoke from open flames, which eventually caused her lungs to collapse. According to researchers, it may seem unbelievable, but the people who lay with her make up a complex and diverse group. Among them were warriors, kings, farmers and artisans who ventured for at least 1,000 years on the Silk Roads where Europeans from known history entered Asia. These people may have entered China from Siberia and brought together a variety of cultures, from the Han Chinese to the Celts of the north, forming a unique meeting place of civilizations. The oldest corpse is an old man who died 1,500 years ago, while the youngest is a baby in a hat with blue gems in front of his eyes. This discovery is far-reaching, revealing that the ancient world of 3,000-4,000 years ago was more diverse than previously known, and that the cultures of Northern Europe and Asia were intertwined. This discovery paints a picture of a more cosmopolitan ancient world, and it also makes it easier to understand why some myths, stories, and art are so prevalent in so many cultures. For example, the Celtic "endless knot" is also a common theme in Chinese art.
Archaeological finds