Beauty of Loulan

The Beauty of Loulan was discovered on 1 April 1980 in the Tiebanhe cemetery near Loulan in the eastern Tarim Basin of present-day Xinjiang, China, by Chinese archaeologist Mu Shunying and members of the Archaeological Institute of the Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences.^[1]

According to journalist Barbara Demick, the discovery was made while Chinese archaeologists were working with a film crew producing a documentary about the Silk Road.^[1]

The woman was found in an exceptional state of preservation. Her eyelashes, fine body hair, and even lines in her skin remained visible when the burial was excavated.^[1] She was one of a number of naturally preserved bodies recovered from the Tarim Basin that later became known collectively as the Tarim mummies.^[1]

The Beauty of Loulan was buried wrapped in wool cloth, cowhide leather, and linen.^[1] She wore a felt hood adorned with a feather and leather shoes trimmed with fur.^[2] Examination of her clothing and footwear showed that both had been worn extensively and repaired multiple times during her life.^[2][1]

Objects found with the body included pottery vessels, wheat grains, a woven bag or basket, a winnowing tray, and a wooden comb that retained four teeth when excavated.^[2][1]

The Beauty of Loulan is one of the best-preserved Tarim mummies. She was buried near a salt lake in the desert, where arid conditions preserved her eyelashes, fine body hair, and even lines in her skin. Her hair was also preserved.^[1]

She died around 1800 BC^[3] and is estimated to have been in her 40s at the time of her death. Examination of the remains found evidence of lice in her hair.^[1] Researchers also found evidence that she had inhaled large amounts of sand, dust, and charcoal before her death.^[1]

For many years, the Chinese government forbade the testing of the mummy's DNA, due to fears that it would aid Uyghur nationalists.^[3] In 1993, Victor Mair and Italian geneticist Paolo Francalacci, were able to test some tissue samples, and although the Chinese government confiscated the samples, Mair claims a Chinese scientist later 'slipped in to their hands' as they were leaving. They concluded that the Loulan Beauty's ancestry came from Europe. Later, in 2007 and 2009, scientists from China's Jilin University and Fudan University both tested samples and corroborated the findings, suggesting that her ancestors may have traveled to Xinjiang through Siberia.^[1]

Following the conclusion that the body is not Uighur, the Chinese government allowed the Loulan Beauty to be displayed in museums.^[1]

In 1980, her likeness was reconstructed by a Japanese painter named Yamaguchi Terunari (山本耀也), and displayed beside her in the museum. As of 2008, the mummy is displayed on the second floor of the Xinjiang Museum, "Mummy Hall"(古尸馆). The Chinese government has not allowed further access to the mummies by scientists outside China.^[3]

Collectively, the Tarim mummies are evidence of settlement in East Asia by people with European genetic markers far earlier than previously believed. In his 2007 paper on the mummies, Jin Li, a scientist at Fudan University also claimed to find evidence of South and East Asian genetic markers among the set, although Victor H. Mair disputes this finding. Elizabeth Barber examined the cloth fabrics preserved with the mummies and argued that they show ties to the Caucasus and even Scotland.^[3]

• History of Xinjiang
• Loulan Beauty – Another "Loulan Beauty", excavated in 2004
• Princess of Xiaohe