🔄FROM THE ARCHIVE: They lived lives of prestige and power. In death, these women still command attention.
Her name lost to the ages, the mummy now known as The Beauty of Xiaohe is at least 3,500 years old. She was found in a tomb complex in western China, along with the remains of hundreds of other members of her lost culture. There is something disconcerting about looking at the face of someone who has long departed from this world and realizing that they look just like you.
She was a minor aristocrat, but Lady Dai clearly enjoyed the sumptuous trappings of her role as the wife of a provincial nobleman during the Han Dynasty in the second century B.C. Despite the wrinkled appearance of her extremities, her limbs and skin were pliable enough for a recent autopsy. The Siberian Ice Maiden's body underwent an elaborate mummification process before burial in Siberia’s permafrost. Found in Siberia’s Altai Mountains, the mummified remains of the Ice Maiden lay for millennia in an undisturbed tomb, surrounded by sacrificial offerings and valuable possessions. When Russian archaeologist Natalie Polosmak exhumed her body in 1993, locals decried the removal of the mummy, which they believed to be the remains of a legendary princess.
Unfortunately, we know little about who the Ice Maiden actually was during her time on Earth. She was probably in pain for the last several months of it, though, based on evidence from medical imaging and forensic analysis. The presence of cannabis in her tomb may not be that meaningful, though, says Adrienne Mayor, who wrote about the maiden in. Most of the Pazyryk people were found buried with cannabis, and Mayor doesn’t believe that she was necessarily a priestess or medicine woman — she could have just been a woman of high standing attempting to cope with debilitating pain.
Preparatory rituals could be lengthy and sometimes involved a monthslong procession that wound its way from village to village through the empire, each stop an opportunity for the residents to celebrate the sacrificial victim’s passage. Inside the Xiaohe tomb complex are about 300 burials dating to around 2000 B.C. The bodies belong to an ancient society of farmers and herders who once managed to eke out a living in their arid surroundings.
Her name lost to the ages, the Beauty wore a tall hat of white felt and fur-lined boots. Her body was surrounded by grave goods, including an intricately carved wood phallus placed on her chest; in the harsh climate, fertility was likely highly prized, says Mair. Overt sexual symbolism adorns the graves, and both men and women were buried with wooden decorations representing sexual organs.
Over the course of generations, they must have worked their way east across the windswept steppes, moving herds from pasture to pasture. They settled in the Taklamakan Desert, Mair believes, because it offered protection in the form of isolation. Their surroundings were desolate, he says, but they must have built a vibrant society, as evidenced by their richly symbolic burials.
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Unicorn: Warriors Eternal Season 1 Episode 4 Preview: A Ghostly TrapWith a new chapter this week, here's a look at Adult Swim & Genndy Tartakovsky’s Unicorn: Warriors Eternal S01E04 'What Lies Beneath.'
Read more »
You Can Play Doom Eternal and N64 Games on this $10 Desktop CalculatorWill it run Doom? Yes, even 2020's Doom Eternal, if you install the right apps.
Read more »
One of Fuentes’ ‘Strongest Soldiers’ Works for Gosar: ReportWade Searle is the digital director for Rep. Paul Gosar and he’s also a loyal follower of Nick Fuentes.
Read more »
Ulaa Salim’s Sci-Fi Drama ‘Eternal’ Heads To France, Benelux For New Europe Film Sales – Cannes MarketEXCLUSIVE: New Europe Film Sales has unveiled fresh deals for Danish director Ulaa Salim’s sci-fi drama Eternal. The film has sold to France (Kimbo Films), Benelux (Cineart), Poland (Galapagos), ex…
Read more »
Succession Recap: A Night of Good TVIt was one thing for Kendall to promise eternal life, but the CE-bros have gone too far this time.
Read more »
Rutgers grads end rollercoaster 4 years with commencement speech from Sheryl Lee RalphStudents lived through the pandemic and a faculty strike on their path to graduation.
Read more »