Xiaohe cemetery

E520831

Xiaohe cemetery is an ancient Bronze Age burial site in the Tarim Basin of Xinjiang, China, renowned for its remarkably well-preserved Tarim mummies and distinctive wooden boat-shaped coffins.

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Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Bronze Age cemetery
archaeological site
burial site
climateCondition extremely arid desert environment
country China
discoveredIn 20th century
earliestBurialsDateTo early 2nd millennium BCE
excavatedBy Chinese archaeologists
hasArchaeologicalCulture Tarim mummies culture complex NERFINISHED
Xiaohe culture NERFINISHED
hasFeature above-ground wooden markers
animal remains including cattle and sheep
boat-shaped coffins buried vertically
cowhide-wrapped coffins
felt hats and clothing
grave goods including wheat and millet
leather boots
multiple burial layers
phallus-shaped wooden posts
plant remains including ephedra
sand dune burial mounds
vulva-shaped wooden posts
wooden masks
woolen textiles
hasHumanRemains European-featured mummies
Tarim Basin mummies
well-preserved hair and clothing
hasNameInChinese 小河墓地 NERFINISHED
heritageStatus protected cultural relics site of China
knownFor Tarim mummies NERFINISHED
early evidence of Indo-European populations in Xinjiang
exceptional preservation of human remains
well-preserved textiles
wooden boat-shaped coffins
locatedIn Taklamakan Desert NERFINISHED
Tarim Basin NERFINISHED
Xinjiang NERFINISHED
locatedInAdministrativeTerritory Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region NERFINISHED
locatedInTime Bronze Age NERFINISHED
nameMeaning Little River cemetery NERFINISHED
partOf Tarim Basin archaeological culture NERFINISHED
preservationCause dry climate and salt-rich sands
radiocarbonDatedTo circa 2000 BCE–1500 BCE
researchField ancient DNA studies
archaeology
physical anthropology
significance evidence for early trans-Eurasian contacts
important site for study of Bronze Age migration in Central Asia
insight into prehistoric populations of the Tarim Basin

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Tarim mummies foundAt Xiaohe cemetery