Archaeologists find nearly 1,500-year-old mummy with adidas shoes in Mongolia
The remains of a suspected Turkish woman were found at an altitude of 2,803 meters in the Altai Mountains of Russia. Ancient human remains are wrapped in felt, but the excavation is being hailed as the first complete Turkish burial found in Central Asia.
B.Sukhbaatar, a researcher at the Khovd Museum, said: “The person was not from the elite, and we believe it was probably a woman, because there is no arch in the tomb.
‘Now we are carefully unwrapping the body and the experts could speak more precisely about the gender.’
In the mummy’s tomb, archaeologists found – alongside the human remains – a saddle, bridle, clay pot, wooden bowl, trough, iron kettle, the remains of the whole horse and four different ‘Dool’ (Mongolian clothes).
There were also cushions, a sheep’s head, and a felt traveling bag in which the entire back of a sheep, goat bones, and a small leather bag for the cup were placed.
He said: ‘It is the first complete Turkish burial in at least Mongolia – and probably in all of Central Asia. This is a very rare phenomenon. These finds show us the beliefs and rituals of the Turks.
“We can clearly see that the horse was deliberately euthanized. It was a mare, between four and eight years old. Four coats we found were cotton.
“One interesting thing we discovered is that not only sheep wool was used, but also camel wool. We can date the burial by the things we found there, also by the type of hat. It gives us a preliminary date around the 6th century AD.’
Archaeologists at the city museum in Khovd were alerted to the burial site by local shepherds. The discoveries will help form a deeper understanding of native Turks in ancient Mongolia.
“The grave was located at 2,803 meters above sea level,” said B.Sukhbaatar. ‘This fact and the cold temperatures helped to preserve the grave. The pit was three meters deep.
“The findings show us that these people were very skilled artisans. Since this was a simple person’s tomb, we understand that craft skills have been quite developed.’
The Altai Mountains unite Siberia, Russia, and Mongolia, China, and Kazakhstan.
Featured image: The tomb was located 2803 meters above sea level in Mongolian Altai. Photos: The Siberian Times
The article ‘Archaeologists Find Nearly 1,500-Year-Old Mummy in Mongolia’ was originally published in The Siberian Times and has been republished with permission.
