ᴀʀᴄʜᴀᴇᴏʟᴏɢɪsᴛs ғɪɴᴅ 𝟷,𝟻𝟶𝟶-ʏᴇᴀʀ-ᴏʟᴅ ᴀɴᴄɪᴇɴᴛ ᴍᴜᴍᴍʏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀᴅɪᴅᴀs sʜᴏᴇs ɪɴ ᴍᴏɴɢᴏʟɪᴀ
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 encased in felt, but the excavation is being hailed as the first complete Turkish burial found in Central Asia.
B.Sukhbaatar, researcher at the Khovd Museum, said: “The person was not from the elite, and we believe that she was probably a woman, because there is no arch in the tomb.
\’We are now carefully unwrapping the body and experts could speak more precisely about the gender.\’
In the mummy\’s tomb, archaeologists found – alongside the human remains – a saddle, bridle, earthen vessel, wooden bowl, trough, iron kettle, the remains of the entire horse and four different \’Dool\’ (Mongolian clothes).
There were also pillows, a sheep\’s head and a felt travel bag in which the entire back of a sheep, goat bones and a small leather cup bag were placed.
He said: \’It is the first full Turkish burial at least in 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. She was a mare, between four and eight years old. Four coats we found were cotton.
“One interesting thing we found is that not only sheep\’s wool was used, but also camel\’s 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 from the city museum in Khovd were alerted to the burial site by local pastors. The findings will help form a deeper understanding of native Turks in A̳n̳c̳i̳e̳n̳t̳ 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. Given that this was the grave of a simple person, we understand that the craft skills were quite developed.\’
The Altai Mountains unite Siberia, Russia, and Mongolia, C̳h̳i̳n̳a̳, and Kazakhstan.
Featured Image: The tomb was located 2803 meters above sea level in Altai Mongolia. Photos: The Siberian Times
The article \’Archaeologists Find Ancient Mummy Nearly 1,500 Years Old in Mongolia\’ was originally published in The Siberian Times and is republished with permission.
