The Mysterious Tarim Mummies

Dr. Alice C. Linsley

The Tarim Basin of Xinjiang, China, with its fertile rim of oases, was home to a homogeneous population living in two settlements about 600 kilometers apart. It is likely that marriage partners were exchanged between the settlements.

The physical features of the Tarim mummies initially suggested that they were Indo-European migrants. Many had high cheekbones and red or blonde hair. However, DNA analysis revealed they were a genetically isolated population descended from Ancient North Eurasians (ANE) who had not mixed with other groups for thousands of years.

Investigation of their genomic origins found that this isolated population practiced endogamy. Scientists analyzed genome-wide data from thirteen of the earliest known Tarim Basin mummies, dating to between 2,100 and 1,700 B.C., together with five individuals dating to 3,000 - 2,800 B.C. in the neighboring Dzungarian Basin. This first genomic study of prehistoric populations in the Xinjiang Uyghur Region included the earliest yet discovered human remains from the region. The researchers found that the Tarim Basin mummies were direct descendants of a once widespread Pleistocene population that had largely disappeared by the end of the last Ice Age.

Hundreds of mummified bodies have been found in the Tarim Basin. The oldest mummified remains date to about 2000 B.C., the time of Abraham. They are well preserved due to the dry conditions of the Taklamakan Desert. The process of desiccation dramatically slowed decomposition of the bodies and clothing. Some of the burial sites held boat-shaped coffins covered with cattle hides, woven textiles, cheese, grains, and death masks.

“Despite being genetically isolated, the Bronze Age peoples of the Tarim Basin were remarkably culturally cosmopolitan – they built their cuisine around wheat and dairy from the West Asia, millet from East Asia, and medicinal plants like Ephedra from Central Asia,” says Christina Warinner, a senior author of the study, a professor of Anthropology at Harvard University, and a research group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany.

Below is a photo of one of the Tarim mummies, known as the "Ur-David" mummy or "Cherchen Man" (Chärchän Man). He wore a red twill tunic and leggings. The mummy dates to about 1000 B.C., the time of King David. He had reddish-brown hair and a ginger beard. Note the solar image on his cheek, suggesting that he was a chief. At that time, rulers were believed to be divinely appointed by being overshadowed by the sun, the primary symbol of the High God. A sun pattern on the mummy's face was applied using yellow ochre.

The image on his cheek appears to be a celestial horse., a symbol of the High God. Some burial sites included wooden horse bits and whips, indicating as equestrian culture. The kings of Judah constructed horses at the entrance to the temple in dedication to the sun, the symbol of the High God. (2 Kg. 23:11). Consider 2 Kings 2:11 - "As they [Elijah and Elisha] were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind."

Celtic coin showing the celestial horseman.

Some believe that the first horseman of the Apocalypse who rides a white horse represents Christ.

Joseph Campbell discovered that horse narratives involving a celestial rider are widespread, and often involve a hero who dies and rises, leading his people to victory. Some interpret this as reflecting solar and seasonal changes that mark public occasions such as harvest festivals, solstice celebrations, etc. Campbell considered this a "monomyth" because of the wide distribution of the common elements and themes. However, this belief in a celestial rider who overcomes death may be a glimmer of the Messianic beliefs of the early Hebrew ruler-priests (4000-2000 BC). 

 

Related reading: The surprising origins of the Tarim Basin mummies; The Sun and Celestial Horses; Righteous Rulers and the Resurrection